12.63 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11.30 am for MCD bypolls

     New Delhi, Nov 30 (PTI) The MCD bypolls for 12 wards on Sunday recorded a voter turnout of 12.63 per cent till 11.30 am, the State Election Commission said.  The voting for the bypolls began on Sunday at 7.30 am and will end at 5.30 pm.  Sangam Vihar A ward recorded the highest voter turnout at 19.98 per cent followed by Mundkar, where 17.02 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise.  The lowest voter turnout was recorded in Greater Kailash, where 7.16 per cent voters turned up. Shalimar Bagh B ward, held earlier by Rekha Gupta, recorded a voter turnout of 9.44 per cent. Gupta also exercised her franchise and urged citizens to participate in large numbers.

The polls are expected to reveal the voters' mood in the national capital after a comprehensive victory of the BJP in the Assembly election earlier this year.

 The State Election Commission has set up 580 booths across 143 polling locations for the 12 bypolls. A total of 2,320 election commission personnel, 580 home guards and 2,265 other personnel, along with 13 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces are facilitating the electoral exercise.   The fate of 51 candidates, including 26 women, will be decided at the ballot.   The BJP has fielded the highest number of women candidates (eight), followed by AAP (six) and Congress (five). The election is being closely observed as AAP and the BJP will take on each other again after the Assembly polls held in February.

 The saffron party won 48 out of the 70 constituencies and returned to power in Delhi after 27 years, ousting AAP. Of the 12 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards, nine were earlier held by the BJP and three by AAP. PTI SLB   MNK MNK