New Delhi, March 2 The voting for the local body elections was underway in Haryana on Sunday, with voters lining up early at several places.
Among the early voters was Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who cast his vote in Karnal.
After casting his vote, he said, "Local governance is a crucial pillar of democracy. Whether in Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently achieved significant success. In the past two municipal elections in Karnal, the BJP has performed exceptionally well, securing a substantial share of votes..."
In Rohtak's booth number 179, several elderly voters were seen trooping in to cast their votes, showing notable enthusiasm.
The elections are being held in 33 municipal bodies -- eight municipal corporations, 21 municipalities and four municipal councils.
As per the Election Commission schedule, the voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with results scheduled for declaration on March 12.
Polling is taking place for the mayoral positions and ward councillors in seven key municipal corporations -- Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal and Yamunanagar. The polls are also being conducted in Ambala and Sonepat for the mayoral posts, following the election of former mayors Shakti Rani Sharma (Ambala) and Nikhil Madan (Sonepat) to the Assembly.
A total of 39 candidates are contesting for mayoral posts across eight municipal corporations.
The voting for the Panipat municipal corporation is, however, scheduled separately for March 9, and hence, the campaigning time in Panipat has been fixed till 6 p.m. on March 7.
Apart from the municipal corporations, elections are also being conducted for the post of president and ward members in municipal councils in Ambala Sadar (Ambala Cantt), Pataudi Jatoli Mandi (Gurugram), Thanesar (Kurukshetra), and Sirsa.
Elections will be held for president in the municipal councils of Sohna (Gurugram), Assandh (Karnal) and Ismailabad (Kurukshetra). A total of 21 municipal committees will also elect their presidents and ward members.
In the Gurugram district, polling is being held in five municipal areas -- Municipal Corporation, Gurugram; Municipal Corporation, Manesar; and municipal councils of Sohna, Pataudi, and Farrukhnagar towns. District Magistrate-cum-District Election Officer Ajay Kumar said the polling parties had taken charge of their respective booths to conduct voting at 1,109 polling stations in the district.
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