51 percent polling by 4 pm IST in Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 29 (PTI) An estimated 51 percent voters
exercised their franchise in the national capital till 4 pm
IST Saturday.

The polling that started at eight in the morning got
momentum in the afternoon when voters came in large number to
cast votes.

A minor scuffle was reported in a polling booth in
Wazirpur between a polling agent and an election officer,
which was contained by police before it escalated.

"Around 51 percent of the voters have cast their votes
till 4 pm IST. The polling has so far been peaceful and there
were no reports of any untoward incident," officials at the
Delhi Chief Electoral Office said.

Among the early voters were Vice President Hamid Ansari,
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary
Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief
ministerial candidate V K Malhotra.

Belaying apprehensions that Mumbai terror attacks will
cast a shadow on the polling, people were coming out
enthusiastically, especially in North-West, South-West and
Outer districts.

There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting
machines (EVMs) in some parts of the city but they were
rectified, election officials said.

Polling was smooth in Jamia Nagar, which was in news
after Batla House encounter in which two suspected terrorists
were killed.

Elaborate security arrangements were made in the capital
with the deployment of about 52,000 police personnel who kept
a tight vigil. PTI WAJ
PMR
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