Voting for the bypolls across 12 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi picked up slowly on Sunday before reaching a tentative turnout of 38.5% by 5.30 p.m., the State Election Commission (SEC) said.
The voting process was largely smooth and no disruptions due to technical glitches or EVM malfunctions were reported, an SEC official said. A total of 3.7 lakh men, 3.2 lakh women and 52 transgender persons were eligible to vote across 580 booths. Fifty-one candidates, including 26 women, contested the bypolls, which marked the first electoral face off between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress after the Assembly election in February.
Of the 12 wards, nine were held by the BJP and the rest by AAP councillors. Chandni Mahal recorded the highest turnout at 55.9% while Greater Kailash saw the lowest turnout at 26.7%.
Votes will be counted on December 3. The SEC will share the final voter turnout on Monday.
Adeshwar Kant, Joint Secretary of the SEC, said municipal elections, particularly bypolls, consistently witness voter apathy. “This is despite running an extensive election awareness campaign,” he said.
