Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Polling for eight zilla parishad constituencies and 16 panchayat samiti segments in Kannad tehsil was conducted peacefully on Saturday, marking the celebration of democracy. The political fate of a total of 153 candidates has now been sealed in electronic voting machines (EVMs). The tehsil recorded an average voter turnout of 63.22 per cent (provisional). After polling, all EVMs were shifted to strong rooms under tight police security.
During the voting process, technical glitches were reported in EVMs at a few places. In the Nagad constituency, ballot and control units malfunctioned at Belkheda and Wadgaon Jadhav; in the Pishor constituency at Khatkheda; at Nimdongri in Hatnur; and in the Karanjkhed constituency at Dhamni Khurd and Ghatshendra. However, election returning officer Santosh Gorde promptly arranged for reserve machines, ensuring that the polling process continued smoothly without disruption.
Polling was relatively slow during the morning hours, but long queues of women and young voters were seen at rural polling centres after noon. By 3.30 pm, as many as 1.34 lakh voters had exercised their franchise. By evening, the turnout reached 63.22 per cent. Several constituencies in the tehsil witnessed keen contests, and there is widespread anticipation over who will emerge victorious.
To maintain law and order during the elections, the police had made elaborate security arrangements. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aparajita Agnihotri, inspector R B Sanap, Dr Ramchandra Pawar and Shivaji Nagave personally visited various polling stations and conducted patrols. Barring a few minor incidents, the polling process concluded peacefully across the tehsil.