Over 65% polling in 3 States

An average 66 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh held on Tuesday. While Arunachal Pradesh recorded a tentative 72 per cent, it was 66 in Haryana and 60 in Maharashtra.

Barring a few stray incidents of group clashes, damage to the electronic voting machines, firing and disruption by Maoists in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, no major incident was reported.

Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, along with Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi and V.S. Sampath, briefing journalists, described the elections as “very satisfactory.”

Two deaths, both due to heart attacks, were reported in Haryana. While 48-year-old polling agent Jyoti Ram died of chest pain following a clash between supporters of Congress nominee Dillu Ram and Independent Kulwant Bazigar in the Gulha constituency, an 84-year-old man died when he came to vote in a booth in Rewari district.