Fate of 8 candidates sealed in EVMs
    Date :04-Nov-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
Raipur,
 
Female voters turnout remains 77.36% followed by male voters 77.13% and third gender 25%
 
 
Approximately, 77.25 per cent voter turnout was reported till 6 pm as Marwahi by-poll went off peacefully on Tuesday. According to the officials of Chhattisgarh Election Commission, voters, including Covid-19 positive persons, were allowed with special arrangements into the polling booths and they will exercise their franchise after all others have voted. The entry to the premises was closed at 6 pm. It is expected that the voting percentage may increase once final data is out, said the Election Commission official. However, the final figure could be available on Wednesday.
 
The official said that 80.88 voter turnout was recorded in Marwahi constituency in the last Assembly election, while the voting percentage in general election was 74.57 per cent. 19 Covid-19 positive patients too cast their votes. Female voters’ turnout was recorded 77.36 per cent, followed by male voters’ percentage recorded as 77.13 and third gender voting per cent remained as 25 per cent. Khamli Khurd recorded the highest 93.84 per cent voting, while the lowest voting percentage 56% was recorded at Dahi. After a hectic campaign marked by rancour, allegations and counter allegations among political parties, voters of Marwahi on Tuesday voted to elect one out of the eight candidates, including BJP’s Gambheer Singh and Congress’ Dr K K Dhruw, to represent them and resolve their issues as by-poll to the constituency went off peacefully.
 
The other candidates in the fray were Ritu Pandram of the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), Dr Urmila Singh Marko of the Rashtriya Gondwana Party, Pushpa Khelan Korche of the Ambedkarite Party of India, Beersingh Nagesh of the Bharatiya Tribal Party, Lakshman Porte of the Bharatiya Sarvajan Hitay Samaj Party and independent Sonmati Salam. Polling booths witnessed long queues as voters started turning up at their respective booths from the early morning even as the timing was 8 am. Special arrangements were done keeping in view Covid-19 pandemic, so that voters can be facilitated with a safe environment. Sanitiser, masks and gloves were distributed among voters at the polling booths. Reports of faults in the Electronic Voting Machines were also received from some polling booths as soon as voting started, causing delay in the voting at these booths.
 
EVMs at Patgaon were immediately replaced by fresh ones for smooth voting. Voters were seen maintaining social distancing waiting for their turn to vote. Divyang, senior and very senior voters dared Covid-19 as they themselves reached their respective polling booths to cast vote. Voting percentage in the first hour was reported at 2.4 per cent with 2017 male and 2,477 female voters casting their votes. It rose to 21.52 per cent by 11 am and by afternoon there was a brisk and 41.46 per cent voting was reported at 1 pm and percentage was 59.05 at 3 pm. The voting percentage was reported as 71.99 at 5 pm. According to the election officials, voting continued till 6 pm at polling booths across the constituency. The percentage of voting will increase once the final figure is out. Marwahi seat, a bastion of the Jogi family for several years now, saw a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP after the nomination papers of Amit Jogi, the son of Ajit Jogi, and his wife Richa were rejected by the returning officer on the ground their caste certificates were invalid.