44 per cent turnout in Rajinder Nagar bypoll after a high-voltage campaign

NEW DELHI: It was a high-stake battle that saw intensive, high-decibel campaigning. But, it seems the voters were not enthused as the turnout for the Rajinder Nagar Assembly byelection was a mere 44 per cent — 43.75 per cent, to be precise.

The contest between Durgesh Pathak of the Aam Aadmi Party and Rajesh Bhatia of the BJP was necessitated after high-profile AAP leader Raghav Chadha vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha. The polling percentage on Thursday was significantly lesser than the figure recorded in the 2020 Assembly polls, that is, 58.27 per cent.

Even an appeal by Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor — who was chosen by the Election Commission as an icon for its voter awareness campaign — could not drive a majority of voters to the booths. Those who did vote were in for a surprise as they received a red carpet entry to tidy polling stations decked up with balloons.

Interestingly, 24 Covid-positive persons also turned up to exercise their franchise and they cast their votes in the last one hour following all safety protocols. Water supply, sewer lines, broken roads and the new liquor policy were among the issues for many residents as they stepped out to vote.