A total of 56.74 per cent of the 15,11,455 voters of the State Capital used their right to elect the new city Government on Saturday, sealing the fate of 473 aspirants for Mayor and corporators for 83 wards of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). Of the total 473 candidates there were 17 aspirants for the mayor post while 456 aspirants were seeking entry from 85 wards into the BMC council as corporators.
There are 85 wards in Bhopal, but the election was held for 83 as the BJP candidates from ward numbers 60 and 70 were elected unopposed. The counting of votes would be held on Wednesday, February 4, paving the way for the formation of new city Government. The voting for the new city Government started from 7 am and lasted till 5 pm. But the low voting percentage has worried everyone, from the administration to the political parties and the candidates.
State Election Commissioner R Parsuram said that though adequate security arrangements were made for the peaceful polling but some unruly scenes were witnessed at one or two places. In Bhopal there were a total of 15,11,455 voters including 8,03,408 males and 7,07,990 females. Also of the total there were 5.50 lakh youth and 44,000 first time voters.
The BJP has already opened its account in the yet to be formed BMC council as its two women corporators from ward numbers 60 and 70 have already been declared victorious unopposed. Usha Chaturvedi was declared winner as Congress candidate Chandrawati Negi failed to submit her caste certificate while Sushma Chohan was declared winner from ward number 70 as Congress candidate Jyoti Chohan withdrew from the contest on the last day of withdrawal of forms.
In terms of maximum numbers of voters ward number 35 known as Jinsi ward is the largest with a total of 24,374 votes while ward number 81 known as Kanha Kunj is the smallest ward with 11,047 voters.