New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections held on Sunday witnessed a lower turnout of voters compared to the 2017 polls with around 50 per cent of the electorates exercising their franchisee, officials said.
The election officials, citing data available till 5.30 p.m., said around 50 per turnout was recorded, adding the final figures would be known later. The turnout in the 2017 civic body elections was 54 per cent.
A total of 13,638 polling centres were set up for the polling on Sunday.
The polling had started on Sunday morning at 8 p.m. It went on peacefully till its conclusion at 5 p.m.
The results would be announced on December 7.
A total of 1,349 candidates are in fray for 250 wards of the MCD.
The prime contest in the civic body polls is mainly between the BJP and the AAP. Both parties have fielded 250 candidates each in all the 250 wards.
The Congress which is expecting to bag more wards this time compared to 2017 civic body elections have fielded 247 hopefuls.
The residents of national capital on Sunday submitted that they voted in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls with a hope of getting better civic amenities, clean, congestion-free and safe roads among others.
Ashish, a resident of south Delhi, said:
"We face traffic jams daily. Due to congestion in streets, our cars get stuck and we run late for work."
A woman, who did not wish to be named, spoke on safety concerns.
"At times, it becomes difficult to go out because some streets have less or no street light. It is dangerous for kids too to play or go out in dark. Any mishap can happen," she said.
Meanwhile, a first-time voter demanded better education system.
"Education is a basic need but sometimes the accessibility becomes narrow. The other day, I saw kids of labourers not going to school because their parents don't know the procedure to get them admitted," he said.
Medha, another first-time voter, said: "Roads are always crowded. Due to traffic jams, I often get late for my classes."
When the rest of the city was busy voting for the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Sunday, residents of Katewara village in Bawana, which falls under Ward No. 31 in North West district, gave a call to boycott the polls.
According to sources, there are around 4,400 voters in the ward, who alleged that no development took place in the area in the last eight years and hence they have decided to boycott the polls.
People alleged that even the cemetery in the area is also in a bad condition. Though they urged the local MLA and the councillor to get it repaired many times, no step has been taken so far, they alleged.
Inder Singh, a local resident, said that in the last eight years no road has been built in the area and hence he was boycotting the polls. He alleged that the local MLA has even threatened them that if they do not vote for his party, no development will take place in the area.
Another villager said that no sports complex has been built in the area and hence they were against the polls.
Sanjiv Khatri, a local social worker, said that area representatives are not paying heed to their problems.
"The MP, MLA and councillor -- all are missing. They don't come to our village. No development has taken place in the last eight years, so we are forced to boycott the elections," said Khatri.
Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary on Sunday claimed that he was unable to vote in the Delhi MCD polls as his name was missing from the voters' list.
Holding the AAP and BJP responsible for it, he alleged that not only his name but names of lakhs of voters have been deleted from the list.
He found his name missing from the list when he reached polling booth to exercise his right to franchise for the MCD polls.
He alleged that, just like Uttar Pradesh, in Delhi, name of voters of Dalit and Muslim-dominated areas have been deleted.
Chaudhary said that he had cast vote in the earlier elections and being a former MLA, is a marked voter, whose name cannot be struck off, but despite that his name has been deleted.
He said that he complained to the Election Commission but to no avail.
People have been continuously calling the Congress control room, saying that their names had been struck off from the voters' list, Chaudhary claimed.
He said that voters were being denied their right to vote in the elections and the silence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in this regard is questionable.
The counting of votes and result of the MCD polls are scheduled to be announced on December 7.
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