66 pc voting in urban bodies elections in Chhattisgarh

A voter turnout of 66.05 per cent was recorded in elections to 151 urban bodies in Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

Polling was held for 10 municipal corporations, 38 municipal councils and 103 nagar panchayats to elect corporators for 2,831 wards.

Some 66.05 per cent of voters turned out, State Election Commissioner Thakur Ram Singh told PTI. The figure was provisional and it might go up, he said.

Bypolls were held in three wards of two municipal bodies where voter turnout was 65.98 per cent, he added.

"The voting process was by and large peaceful. Polling officials have started returning with ballot boxes," he said.

One Vikas Sahu (20) was caught while allegedly voting in the name of another person in Pendra Nagar Panchayat, Singh said.

Re-polling will be held at booth number 399 in Maharishi Valmiki Ward (32) in Raipur Municipal Corporation on December 23, he added.

The fate of over 10,000 candidates was locked in the ballot boxes and the results will be announced on December 24.

In six wards, corporators were elected unopposed.

Besides, no nominations were received in three wards while all nominations were withdrawn in two places.

Election was not held in a ward in Dornapal Nagar Panchayat due to the death of a candidate.

There were 40,05,353 eligible voters, including 20,00,303 women.

The state will have indirect election for the posts of mayors of municipal corporations and chairpersons of other civic bodies for the first time since its creation in 2000.

As per the new rules, mayors and chairpersons will be elected by corporators and not directly by people.