Punjab: Average 27 pc polling till 11 am in municipal elections

Chandigarh, Dec 21 (PTI) An average of 27 per cent polling was witnessed till 11 am in the elections to five municipal corporations and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats underway in Punjab, officials said on Saturday.

The polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and will continue till 4 pm, they added.

Till 9 am, the average turnout was 10 per cent, the officials said.

Votes will be counted at the polling stations after the completion of voting, they said.

The five municipal corporations where the elections are being held are Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara.

More than 3,300 candidates are in the fray for the civic polls, the officials said, adding that a total of 3,809 polling booths have been set up.

Voters queued up at many polling booths in the chilly morning to cast their votes.

Among political leaders who exercised their franchise are the BJP's Tarun Chugh, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Ludhiana MLA Ashok Prashar and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh.

In Patiala, the BJP alleged that fake voting was underway at the behest of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

BJP leader Jai Inder Kaur alleged that some outsiders were roaming around and demanded action against them from the police.

BJP candidate from ward number 34 in Patiala Sushil Nayyar threatened to self-immolate after alleging that fake votes were being cast at a polling booth.

After Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh reached the spot, BJP leader Jai Inder Kaur and party supporters could be seen arguing with the police officer and claiming that some people were being allowed without proper verification who were casting fake votes.

"Nobody was stopping them. And who is responsible for it," asked a BJP supporter.

The SSP responded, saying, "Videography of polling is taking place." Earlier, Kaur, the daughter of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, alleged that AAP MLAs Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Gurlal Ghanaur were outsiders to ward number 34 but were present in the area.

In Patiala, the Shiromani Akali Dal claimed that its booth in ward number 15 was vandalised.

A total of 37.32 lakh voters, including 17.75 lakh females, are eligible to cast their votes in these elections.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used for polling.

The civic polls will be a litmus test for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which would like its winning momentum to continue after securing victories in three of the four Assembly bypolls in November.

These elections are important as they will reveal the popularity of the ruling party among urban voters.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held roadshows and campaigned for the AAP candidates in the run-up to the elections.

It will also be the first test for Aman Arora after he was appointed as the AAP's Punjab unit chief. Arora took part in poll campaigning and made several promises to the voters.

The stakes are also high for the Congress, which had a majority in the Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala municipal corporations.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are also contesting the municipal corporation polls. PTI CHS VSD IJT IJT