Date:14/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/10/14/stories/2004101402310400.htm

Back 55-60 pc polling in Maharashtra

Our Bureau

Mr Anil Ambani, Vice-Chairman, Reliance Industries Ltd, with his wife Ms Tina Ambani at a polling station in Mumbai on Wednesday. - Shashi Ashiwal

Mumbai , Oct. 13

AN estimated 55-60 per cent of the 6.59-crore Maharashtra electorate cast their votes in the State Assembly elections on Wednesday.

Barring two incidents in Gadchiroli district in the Vidarbha region, where two policemen were injured in two separate Naxal attacks, the polling was efficient and peaceful, said the State Election Commissioner, Mr U.P.S. Madan.

A few stray incidents were reported in other parts of the State but did not affect polling, he said.

An average of 40 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the 34 Assembly segments in Mumbai.

In an incident, which the Election Commissioner said, "Has not much to do with the election," 150 people were hospitalised due to food poisoning after consuming pedas allegedly offered by the workers of a political party.

Unlike the Lok Sabha elections, in which several voters found their names missing from the rolls, Mr Madan said the Election Commission (EC) had not yet received complaints of missing names during this election.

"We had taken every step possible to ensure people had registered their names," he said.

But when it was brought to his notice that several names were missing in the lower income group areas, Mr Madan said the EC would look into the matter with the officials in those localities.

A total of 2,678 candidates stood for the elections to the 288-member State Assembly.

In the previous Assembly elections in 1999, the Congress (I) and the Nationalist Congress Party allied to form the Democratic Front Government, which lasted the full five-year term, although both the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister were replaced in between.

For this election, 82,000 electronic voting machines were installed and 3,50,000 polling staff were deployed across the 35 districts.

A total of 2,390 paramilitary personnel along with 4,700 civil police and 5,700 home guards were deployed from the Centre. Additionally, 70,000 police and 30,000 home guards were on duty from the State to ensure smooth polling.