Only 46.3% of votes were cast in the by-election to Sarai Pipal Thala ward of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Sunday, a decline of over 14% votes from the 2012 municipal poll.
A total of 24,739 voters, comprising 13,116 males and 11,623 females, cast their votes in the by-poll, said a senior official of the Delhi State Election Commission.
‘Area neglected’
The ward has over 53,000 registered voters, he said. The voting percentage of the ward in the 2012 MCD poll was 60.6%. The by-poll thus saw a decline of over 14% votes this time, the official said.
Maheshwar Kumar, a leader, said the area had always been neglected by political parties.
“Residents here do not have access to basic facilities such as clean drinking water and electricity. The political representatives show their faces only when they come to ask for votes,” he said.
The by-poll in the ward was necessitated after Samajwadi Party candidate Dinesh Singh died. His son Himanshu is in the fray from the party.
The voting, meanwhile, was mildly affected due to power failure at some of the 57 polling booths because of the rain, said an election official.
