New Delhi: The ‘Modi Wave’ for BJP has worked yet again in the assembly elections held in Maharashtra and Haryana. BJP, which contested assembly polls on its own in Haryana – also called millennium city – for the first time, attained majority on its own, bagging 47 seats in the 90-member Assembly.
After its spectacular performance in Maharashtra – also called maximum city -Â where it became the single largest Party, BJP is now exploring all the possible options for the government formation.
Just ahead of the BJP parliamentary board meeting to decide on future course of action in Maharashtra, the NCP sprang a surprise by offering outside support to the party. NCP senior leader Praful Patel said his party will support the BJP as it is the the single largest party and could hence provide a stable government.
NCP’s offer of outside support came even after BJP leaders said they would “like to go with like-minded parties and people of Maharashtra want to get rid of the Congress and NCP.”
In Haryana, BJP grabbed 47 | NLD – 20 | Congress – 15 | HJC – 2 | Others – 6. While in Maharashtra, BJP captured 123 | SS-63 | Cong – 42 | NCP – 41 | MNS – 1 | Others – 18
Let us have a look on how Gurgaon and Mumbai voted on Wednesday.
Haryana registered a record-breaking turnout figure, with the polling percentage reaching all-time high of 75.9%. Over 68% of nearly 10 lakh registered voters of Gurgaon district on Wednesday exercised their franchise in the Haryana Assembly elections.
A total of 6,79,028 votes were polled in the district, which comprises 920 polling booths and four Assembly seats — Gurgaon, Badshahpur, Pataudi and Sohna.
In Sohna, 76.6% cast their votes — the highest in Gurgaon district. This was followed by Pataudi, a reserved seat, where 68% voted. The constituency with the largest number of voters, Badshahpur, recorded a voter turnout of 67.2%. Haryana’s most urban city Gurgaon recorded the lowest voter turnout at 63.8%.
The polling percentage was higher at some booths such as DLF 2, American Montessori School, which registered a voter turnout of 52.4% from 27% in 2009 assembly election, many from up-town high rises such as Malibu Town, Sushant Lok and DLF 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 refrained from voting.
In the last elections, the BJP had been a marginal player in the state. Now the party, for the first time since the formation of Haryana in 1966, is trying to come to power without its ally, Haryana Janhit Congress.
In the four constituencies in the district, as many as 62 candidates are in the fray, including 32 Independents and five women candidates. The maximum of 20 candidates are contesting from the Sohna Assembly segment, while 18 candidates are in the fray in Gurgaon. Similarly, 14 candidates are trying their luck from the Badshahpur Assembly seat and ten are contesting from Pataudi. Sohna has the maximum number of 11 Independent candidates.
Meanwhile, after remaining sluggish for the most part of the day, voting gathered pace in Maharashtra in the afternoon, with the polling percentage crossing 63.4% by 6pm.
Voters in Mumbai came out to exercise their right in the afternoon taking the polling percentage in the capital to 48% till 5pm. Men and women in designer sunglasses stepped out of their posh homes and chauffeur driven cars, to vote, with many claiming to be voting for change.
Colaba had a turnout of 47.59%, higher than its 2009 turnout of 35.9%, the lowest in the state. In Malabar Hill, the turnout was 53.34%, higher than 2009 when it had hit 45%. In Bandra (West), it was 53.15%, higher than 43% in 2009.
Although Malabar Hill and Bandra (West) had a higher average than the city (51.96%), Colaba, Versova and Andheri (West) fell below. At Versova and Juhu, areas that film stars call home, the turnout was less than satisfactory, with just 40.33% at Versova, barely an improvement from the 2009 figure of 40%.