Peaceful polling for Delhi elections ends, 60 % voter turnout

New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) An estimated 60 per cent of the electorate today exercised their franchise in the Delhi Assembly elections, polling for which came to a close at 1700 hrs.

Delhi Election officials, however, said the figure could go up as at the end of polling deadline at 1700 hrs, there were large queues of people at various polling booths across the city. The officials said the people who were in queue on or before 1700 hrs would be allowed to vast their vote.

However, those who arrived at the polling booths after 1700 hrs would not be allowed to cast their votes, election officials said.

Barring stray incidents of clashes between workers of some political parties and between media and polling personnel, the polling for 69 of the 70 seats of the Delhi Legislative Assembly was carried out in a smooth and peaceful manner.

The polling, which began on a slow note, picked up pace as the day progressed, with serpentine queues seen outside the polling booths after 1400 hrs.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's New Delhi constitutency recorded a massive 60 per cent turnout till 1630 hrs while assembly segments of Greater Kailash (from where BJP's chief Ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra is contesting), Sangam Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar recorded over 40 per cent till 1630 hrs.

A turnout of 53 per cent was recorded in the last assembly polls in 2003.

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