PANCHKULA, MAY 10 — Voting for the 20 wards of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation is currently underway, with citizens turning out in large numbers since the booths opened at 8 am. Administrative officials stated that 204 polling centres have been established to facilitate the process, noting a particularly high level of participation from the city’s senior population.
General V.P. Malik (Retd), former Chief of Army Staff, was among the prominent early voters in Sector 6. He asserted that the accessibility of a candidate is a crucial factor in his decision-making, maintaining that the focused development of the city is the need of the hour. Other senior voters highlighted that the election is a critical opportunity to address localized issues such as garbage disposal and the maintenance of neighborhood infrastructure.
Candidates for the post of Mayor, including Shyam Lal Bansal of the BJP and Sudha Bhardwaj of the Congress, were seen casting their votes early in the morning at their respective booths. To ensure a smooth process, the election commission has implemented a dual EVM system to handle the concurrent voting for both the Mayor and ward councillors. While the contest is largely seen as a face-off between major political entities, observers maintained that independent contenders are making a significant impact on the ground in various sectors.
