Polling brisk,peaceful

Around 63 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Haryana where all the 10 constituencies went to the polls in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday. Polling remained generally peaceful with incidents of minor scuffles and tension being reported at a few places,said Election Commission officials. The polling percentage in Haryana in the 2004 was 65.57 per cent.

Kurukshetra topped the voter turnout list with 69 per cent polling,followed by Sirsa 67 per cent,Hisar 65 per cent,Bhiwani-Mahendergarh,Ambala and Rohtak 64 per cent each,Sonipat 62 per cent and Karnal 61 per cent. Gurgaon and Faridabad recorded the lowest turnout at 55 per cent each.

Polling commenced on a sedate note amid tight security,but picked up later in the afternoon and touched the 50 per cent mark by 3.30 pm. It crossed 59 per cent at 4.45 pm and finally closed at 62.7 per cent in the evening.

Political leaders blamed the rising mercury for the low polling percentage in the state. However,many voters said they had lost trust in the political system of the country and hence had decided not to vote. As a result,a few polling stations went without even a single vote being cast during the day.

Political parties tried to reach out to voters at their residences and even offered to ferry them from their homes to the polling booths.