Over 6O per cent polling SMC elections

Shimla, May 23 (UNI) Over 60 per cent electorate exercised their franchise in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, which are being keenly watched with the state assembly elections due next year.

''According to preliminary information, over 60 per cent polling has been reported in 22 wards of the town for which the data is available now,'' a senior government official told UNI here.

The polling was largely peaceful except a few stray incidents of candidates and polling agents exchanging hot words in one to two wards, Shimla SP AP Singh said.

An FIR was registered under Section 171 D against a person at Boileuganj for trying to cast vote against someone else's name, he said.

In all, 94 candidates, including 23 women, from the Congress, the BJP and the CPM, and the independents were in the fray in the local body elections for the town with a population of over 1.12 lakh voters.

In all, 150 polling booths were set up across the town in the 25-member Shimla Municipal Corporation elections.

The election results would be declared on Friday. The Congress has retained control over the Shimla Municipal Corporation since 1986 when it was formed.

The results of the local body elections are being watched keenly here by the political parties, analysts and common people with the state assembly elections due in February 2008.

UNI