Moderate polling in Maha, Haryana, Arunachal elections

Moderate polling was today recorded in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh amidst stray incidents of violence in which a polling agent was killed.

While over 20 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in Maharashtra and Haryana till noon, the turnout in Arunachal Pradesh was over 25 per cent, poll officials said.

The polling agent was killed in a clash between supporters of Congress nominee Dillu Ram and Independent candidate Kulwant Bazigar in Gulha assembly constituency in Haryana's Kaithal district, a police official said. The 48-year-old deceased, Jyoti Ram, was Bazigar's polling agent.

In Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district where 17 policemen were shot dead by the Maoists on October 8, naxalites opened fire at a patrol party near Kasansur in Aheri block shortly before polling commenced. No one was injured, police said, adding security forces did not retaliate.

In another incident, naxals opened fire at a polling station at Bonde in Korchi taluka of the district. While no one was hurt, additional forces were despatched by an airforce chopper to Bonde, Manoj Sharma, ASP, Gadchiroli, said.

Over 1.29 lakh state police and central forces have been deployed across the state where voting is being held for 288 Assembly seats, DGP (Elections) A N Roy said.

Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against three-time Congress MLA Janardhan Chandurkar for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by trying to influence voters by distributing money in suburban Bandra in Mumbai, police said.

Among the early voters in Maharashtra were Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh, industrialist Anil Ambani, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

The fate of 3,559 candidates, including Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal and 37 ministers will be decided by the electorate comprising 7,56,34,525 voters.

Sons and daughters of leaders like Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Gopinath Munde and late Pramod Mahajan are making their electoral debut.

In Haryana, over 20 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise till noon for 90 assembly constituencies, election officials said.

Long queues were seen in front of most booths in Arunachal Pradesh where elections to 57 seats in the 60-member Arunachal assembly are being held.

More than 1.31 crore eligible voters, including 59 lakh women, will decide the fate of 1,222 candidates in fray for 90 Assembly seats in Haryana.

Prominent contestants include Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his ministerial colleagues -- Birender Singh, Kiran Choudhry and Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, INLD's Secretary General Ajay Chautala, and Haryana Janhit Congress supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi.

In Arunachal Pradesh, three Congress candidates, including Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, have already been elected unopposed from the predominantly Buddhist district of Tawang.Around 7.25 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in favour of 151 candidates.

The Congress has put up its candidates in all 60 seats.

UPA allies, NCP and Trinamool Congress, have put up 36 and 26 candidates respectively. The Trinamool Congress is contesting for the first time in the state. The BJP has put up only 18 candidates.

Among the candidates are former Chief Minister Gegong Apang, who was elected seven times consecutively from Tuting-Vinkiong, Kameng Dolo who is trying his luck for the eighth time from Chayangtajo and former union minister Omak Apang from Pasighat West. All of them are contesting on Congress tickets.

Counting of votes in all the three states will be taken up on October 22.