Polling up in State

MUMBAI, February 23: Contrary to initial reports, the 24 parliamentary constituencies that went to polls on Sunday, witnessed a hefty eight to nine per cent increase in polling compared with the 1996 general elections.

The State Election Commission today revised the polling percentage in the first phase to 61 as against 52 in the last general elections.

Though polling percentages increased across all parts of the state that voted on Sunday, of particular interest was the fact that the increase was manifest more strongly in those constituencies where Sonia Gandhi had addressed rallies. In Bhandara, the turnout was 72.30 per cent against 67 during the last elections, while in Dhule and Nandurbar district, it was 46.09 and 54.37 per cent against 36.23 and 50.25 per cent respectively during the last elections.