Chopal, May 30: Voting for the three-tier Panchayati Raj elections in Chopal subdivision witnessed an enthusiastic response on Saturday, with 63.18 per cent polling recorded across all polling stations till 1 PM.
According to the polling report released by election authorities, a total of 11,189 voters had exercised their franchise by 1 PM out of 17,710 registered voters. Of these, 5,530 were men and 5,659 women, indicating strong participation by women voters across the subdivision.
Several polling stations reported exceptionally high voter turnout. Rohana recorded 89.80 per cent polling, while Bagan-2 witnessed 83.33 per cent turnout.
Other high-performing areas included Pausharagh-1 (82.67%), Pausharagh-2 (82.01%) and Tadi (83.80%).
Among the major panchayat clusters, Khagna-Newal led with 74.74 per cent polling, followed by Bagan (72.69%), Pausharagh (69.64%), Matal (67.94%), Kutah (67.35%) and Pujarli (66.34%).
In Dewat Panchayat, polling remained steady with an overall turnout of 61.21 per cent till 1 PM.
Out of 214 registered voters, 131 voters cast their ballots, including 61 men and 70 women. Male turnout stood at 64.21 per cent, while female turnout was 58.82 per cent, reflecting healthy participation across the panchayat.
The enthusiasm among voters continued well beyond the afternoon. Queues of voters were still seen outside polling stations in Dewat till 4.47 PM, indicating a strong likelihood of the turnout rising substantially by the close of polling.
Local residents, including women and elderly voters, continued arriving at polling booths to exercise their democratic right.
Polling remained peaceful across the subdivision with voters turning up in large numbers from the morning hours. Election officials reported smooth conduct of voting without any major disruptions.
Women voters were seen participating enthusiastically at several booths, underscoring their growing role in grassroots democracy.
Election authorities expect the overall turnout to increase significantly during the remaining hours of polling.
Counting of votes for ward members will commence after the close of polling and will be followed by the counting for the posts of Pradhan and Up-Pradhan.
