Quiet start to Indian poll

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 8

Quiet start to Indian poll

NZPA-Reuter New Delhi Voting began quietly yesterday across most of India in a General Election in which the ruling Congress Party is facing its most formidable challenge in 30 years in power. There were no immediate reports of any incidents. Th? Samachar news agenty reported that the early turn-out at most polling booths was small, but picking up rapidly by midmorning.

Voting was completed in 300 -of the 542 seats that make up the new Parliament by 5 p.m. local time (10.30 p.m., New Zealand time, but the first results will not be announced until Sunday night.

Some 190 million people were eligible to vote. In New Delhi, where there are 2.6 million voters, seven Parliamentary seats and 41 candidates, lines of voters had formed outside several polling booths by mid-morn-ing. Two of the main contests to be decided are in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the Prime Minister (Mrs Indira Gandhi) and her 30-year old son, Sanjay, are seeking election in the neighbouring constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi.

The Reuter correspondent, Rajendra Bajpai, reported from Amethi that a shooting attack on Mr Gandhi as he returned from a campaign

tour on Monday night could give him an edge over his Janata Party rival. He reported that there was some scepticism over the incident, but many people believed that it was genuine, and that Mr Gandhi’s supporters were giving it wide publicity. No opinion polls have been published on voters’ intentions, but most political analysts expect a swing away from the Congress Party, which won a twothirds majority in the 1971 election.