26052024-TTC-01.qxd 5/26/2024 1:15 AM Page 1 123 SHARIF TO UNVEIL CPEC PH-II IN CHINA WORLD /thetribunechd CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 145 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 EC’s ABSOLUTE POLL DATA OUT BACK PAGE sunday | 26 may 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com At 64.2%, Haryana turnout lower than ’19, Sirsa leads with 69%; Delhi records 58% 57.8% voters cast ballot in Karnal Assembly byelection where CM Saini is in the fray Bhartesh Singh Thakur & Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Chandigarh/NewDelhi, May25 The voter turnout in Saturday’s polling for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana crossed the 64 per cent mark. The polling figure in the state stood at 64.2 per cent late at night. The seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi witnessed 58.7 per cent voter turnout, as per data released at 11.45 pm, against 60.52 per cent recorded in 2019 when the BJP had swept all seats. Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad said, “The elections have passed off peacefully across the state.” According to the office of the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the final figures will be updated on Sunday. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the voter turnout was 70.34 per cent. In the bypoll to the Karnal Assembly seat, from where Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting, the turnout was 57.8 per cent till 8 pm when the data was last updated. In 2019, the turnout here was 52.4 per cent. “The final figures will be known by Sunday,” said Manish Kumar Lohan, an HCS officer coordinating Women queue up to vote in the Uklana Assembly segment of Hisar district on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: ASHOK KUNDU POLLING HIGH IN RURAL AREAS OF HARYANA The polling was high in rural areas in Haryana where resentment against the BJP was visible. The urban areas witnessed low voting. with the media on behalf of the CEO’s office. CEO Anurag Agrawal said, “Whosoever was standing till 6 pm was allowed to vote. We are hopeful of the voting percentage touching last time’s figure.” The highest polling percentage was recorded in the FARIDABAD WITNESSES LOWEST VOTER TALLY Seat Voting %age Ambala 67 Bhiwani-M’garh 65.3 Faridabad 60.2 Gurgaon 60.7 Hisar 64.7 Sirsa parliamentary constituency at 69.1 per cent where BJP’s Ashok Tanwar and Congress’ Kumari Selja are locked in a tight battle. It was followed by the Ambala Lok Sabha seat with a 67 per cent turnout. Here, Congress’ Varun Seat Karnal Kurukshetra Rohtak Sonepat Sirsa Voting %age 63.2 66.3 64.6 62.3 69.1 Chaudhary is pitted against BJP’s Banto Kataria. Kurukshetra recorded 66.3 per cent voting. Here, BJP’s Naveen Jindal, Indian National Lok Dal’s Abhay Chautala and Aam Aadmi Party’s Sushil Gupta are locked in a triangular battle. INDEPENDENT MLA DIES SHORTLY AFTER VOTING Independent MLA from the Badshahpur Assembly constituency in Gurugram Rakesh Daultabad died a few hours after voting. Daultabad, who passed away due to a cardiac arrest, was a popular youth leader. The lowest turnout was witnessed in the Faridabad constituency at 60.2 per cent. Gurgaon recorded 60.7 per cent vote. Political observers are keenly watching the outcome in the Karnal Lok Sabha seat where former CM Manohar Lal CEC: J&K Assemblypoll Oppn doing mujra to woo vote bank: process to kick off soon PM; keep post’s dignity, says Priyanka Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 25 Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Saturday said the poll panel would soon initiate the process for holding the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to mediapersons after casting his vote during the sixth phase of polling in the national capital, he said, “The turnout in the Lok Sabha poll in J&K has been heartening. They deserve their government and we will initiate the process for holding the Assembly elections very soon.” On March 16, while announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha poll, Rajiv Kumar had said the Assem- Terms turnout in LS elections in UT heartening bly elections in the union territory could not be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections from the security point of view. “The Election Commission stands committed to holding the Assembly poll in J&K soon after the Lok Sabha elections,” Rajiv Kumar had said. The Assembly elections in J&K will bolster the government’s standing on the global stage, especially with the West being critical of it over the increasing hiatus in the democratic process. It will continued on page 7 New Delhi, May 25 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday used a “mujra” analogy to accuse the opposition INDIA bloc parties in Bihar of practising vote bank politics, triggering sharp reactions from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who urged the PM to “maintain the dignity of his post”. Addressing a rally in Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency’s Bikram, the Prime Minister reiterated his pledge to “not let the Congress and other INDIA block parties snatch the constitutionally mandated reservations for the SCs, STs and the OBCs”. “I want to give a guarantee to the families of the SCs, STs and the OBCs that till Naren- ‘UNCALLED FOR’ No PM has ever used such words for opposition leaders. Isn’t it PM’s responsibility to maintain the dignity of the post? He has forgotten that he represents the country ❝ Narendra Modi dra Modi is alive, your rights cannot be snatched. For Modi, the Constitution and Baba Saheb Ambedkar are supreme. The INDIA bloc may remain enslaved and keep performing ‘mujra’ to please their vote banks, but I won’t let your rights be taken away,” PM said. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, CONGRESS LEADER At another public meeting in Bihar’s Karakat, the PM said the people had been hurt by the alleged remarks against migrants made by leaders of the Congress in Punjab and Telangana, DMK in Tamil Nadu and the Trinamool Congress in West continued on page 7 A first: Gandhis vote for non-Cong nominee in New Delhi MANAS RANJAN BHUI AAP’s Somnath Bharti Oppn face in seat that once elected first woman CM Sucheta Kripalani Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 25 For the first time in their political careers, the Congress’ top brass—Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra—on Saturday voted for a nonCongress nominee in the New Delhi parliamentary constituency where they are registered voters. Apart from former Congress presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi takes a selfie with mother Sonia after voting in New Delhi. and her son Rahul, general secretary Priyanka, her husband Robert Vadra and chil- dren Raihan and Miraya also voted for a non-Congress candidate. Under a seat-shar- ing arrangement, the Congress conceded the VVIP constituency too AAP which , fielded Somnath Bharti. The sacrifice of the New Delhi and other segments to AAP as part of the pre-poll deal continues to cause anxiety in the Congress ranks even though Sonia justified it saying the 2024 election was about “saving the Constitution and democracy”. Congress cadres, however, don’t take the visuals of Gandhis voting for AAP as heartening, especially because AAP has grown at the expense of the grand old party in Delhi. Right from the start, senior Delhi Congress leaders had wanted this seat, along with North East Delhi where late three-term Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had finished second in 2019 behind BJP’s Manoj Tewari, to stay with the Congress. In the New continued on page 7 Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including six-page Spectrum. c m y b Khattar is facing a tough fight from young Congress leader Divyanshu Budhiraja. The voter turnout here was 63.2 per cent. Caste polarisation was palpable in the polling at Hisar from where three from Devi Lal’s clan — Ranjit Singh, Sunaina Chautala and Naina Chautala — and Congress’ Jai Prakash are locked in a battle. It witnessed 64.7 per cent turnout. Another key seat is Rohtak, a stronghold of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. It witnessed 64.6 per cent polling. In the district-wise tally, Yamunanagar recorded the highest turnout at 71.4 per cent. It is a part of the Ambala Lok Sabha seat. It was followed by Fatehabad district at 69.9 per cent, which is a part of the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat. The voting was boycotted at Sunderpur village in Jind and Majri Tappu village in Yamunanagar. Agrawal said, “The DCs concerned had gone to convince voters. They were raising development issues.” The highest polling in the state was recorded in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections at 73.26 per cent followed by the 1967 General Election when continued on page 7 People wait to cast their vote at a polling station in Anantnag. ANI 61% vote in Phase-6; WB reports clashes Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 25 West Bengal recorded the highest turnout of 79.4 per cent in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, while Uttar Pradesh saw the lowest at 54 per cent, as per the EC data. The Anantnag seat in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a 28-year-high polling of 54.30 per cent. A voter turnout of 61.2 per cent was witnessed as the polling was held for 58 seats across eight states and union territories on Saturday, according to the preliminary data released by the EC at 11.45 pm. Sporadic incidents of violence and complaints of EVM tampering in West Bengal were reported. This is the lowest turnout in the six phases held so far since AT 54.3%, ANANTNAG HITS 28-YEAR HIGH The Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency recorded its highest voter turnout in 28 years with 54.3% of voters exercising their right to franchise till 7.45 pm. The earlier highest figure was 50.2%, which was recorded in 1996. the beginning of the elections on April 19. In 2019, the turnout for these 58 seats was 64.9 per cent. After West Bengal, Odisha figured second in terms of the voter turnout at 69.5 per cent. Delhi and Haryana recorded a turnout of 58.7 per cent and 64.2 per cent, respectively. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, while the BJP and its NDA allies had won 44 seats, the continued on page 7