The city is habitually known for its low voter turnout, a trend that is reflected in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections as well. The female turnout was marginally higher than that of men, with 58.59 per cent women casting their votes compared to 58.05 per cent men. However, a sizeable number of first-time voters were seen queuing up in the early hours to cast their ballots.
As many as 19,914 votes were cast, including 10,027 by men and 9,886 by women.
Voting began on a lukewarm note, with barely 14.13 per cent turnout recorded in the first two hours after polling commenced at 7 am. The figure improved slightly over the next two hours and reached 27.62 per cent by 11 am. It climbed to 43.75 per cent by 1 pm before closing at 58.32 per cent around 5 pm.
Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said polling remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported. The fate of 42 candidates contesting from 17 wards has now been sealed in the EVMs, and candidates will have to wait till May 31 for the results. This marks a departure from the usual practice of declaring results on the same day.
Lack of enthusiasm among urban voters has emerged as a challenge for election officials, with voter apathy becoming evident in successive elections. Not only did the Solan Assembly segment register the district’s lowest turnout of 66.84 per cent in the 2022 Assembly elections, but a similar trend had also been witnessed in the 2017 Assembly polls.
Vivek Sharma, a resident, attributed the low turnout to the perceived ineffectiveness of the civic body in addressing issues related to civic amenities such as water supply and sewerage.
He added that a majority of youngsters stay outside the town for work or studies, and few are willing to travel back for a single day to cast their vote. Moreover, he said, the manner in which the BJP and the Congress came together to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor after the mid-term polls left many voters feeling that elections contested on party symbols were merely an eyewash.
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