Haryana civic body polls record 54.5% voter turnout; counting on May 13

The elections covered the Municipal Corporations of Ambala, Panchkula and Sonipat; the Municipal Council of Rewari; and the Municipal Committees of Dharuhera, Sampla and Uklana.

By-elections were also conducted for various wards in municipal councils and committees in Tohana, Jhajjar, Rajound, Taraori, Kanina and Sadhaura.

In addition, general and by-elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions were held for the posts of Zila Parishad members, Panchayat Samiti members, Sarpanches and Panches in several districts. Among the three major municipal corporations, Ambala recorded a voter turnout of 54.4 per cent, while Panchkula registered 52.7 per cent polling. Sonipat saw the lowest turnout among the three at 47.9 per cent. Higher polling percentages were recorded in smaller urban bodies, with Hisar reporting 75.7 per cent turnout, Rewari 66.1 per cent and Rohtak 79.2 per cent.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The elections witnessed a direct political contest mainly between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in major municipal corporations.

In Ambala, BJP candidate Akshita Saini faced Congress nominee Kulwinder Kaur for the mayor’s post, while Sonia Rani contested as an Independent candidate. Voting was held in 20 wards with around 1.98 lakh eligible voters.

In Panchkula, BJP’s Shyamlal Bansal contested against Congress candidate Sudha Bhardwaj. The Aam Aadmi Party fielded Rajesh Kumar, while the Indian National Lok Dal nominated Manoj Agarwal. The Panchkula civic poll covered 20 wards with 2.07 lakh eligible voters.

For the Sonipat Municipal Corporation election, BJP candidate Rajiv Jain was pitted against Congress nominee Kamal Diwan. Polling was held across 22 wards with nearly 2.96 lakh eligible voters.

The State Election Commission said extensive security arrangements were made to ensure peaceful polling. Special surveillance was
maintained at sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling stations, while micro-observers and dedicated monitoring teams were deployed.
During polling, State Election Commissioner Devinder Singh Kalyan inspected several polling stations in Panchkula and directed

officials to ensure a smooth, transparent and voter-friendly process.
Authorities also ensured voter convenience through facilities such as drinking water, toilets, help desks, seating arrangements, ramps and wheelchairs at polling booths. Separate queues and priority arrangements were made for senior citizens, differently-abled persons, women and unwell voters.
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Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini appealed to citizens to participate enthusiastically in the democratic process and cast their votes.

The State Election Commission thanked voters, election staff, police personnel and the media for ensuring the successful conduct of the polls across Haryana.