Assembly Elections 2022: Punjab polls pass off peacefully, turnout touches 70%

Chandigarh: Barring a few incidents of clashes between the workers of rival political parties, the single-phase Punjab assembly election passed off peacefully on Sunday registering about 70% voters’ turnout according to election commission officials till the time of filing this report.

Over 2.14 crore voters of Punjab cast their votes for a total of 1,304 candidates contesting 117 seats. The poll results would be out on March 10.

The state is locked a multi-corner contest between Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance and the alliance of BJP, former two-time chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and SAD (Sanyukt), and a farmers’ outfit Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) candidates.

Almost all the key players including Congress chief ministerial candidate Charanjit Singh Channi (contesting from two seats – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur), Aam Aadmi Party CM face Bhagwant Mann (Dhuri), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supremo and former five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, 94, (Lambi) his son and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal (Jalalabad), Congress state president Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar east), senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia fighting Sidhu, BJP state chief Ashwani Sharma (Pathankot) and former chief minister and PLC founder Capt Amarinder Singh (Patiala urban) cast their votes by around noon. They all expressed confidence of their win while talking to media.

The turnout which was about 5% by 9 am picked up pace towards afternoon was over 64.1% by 5 pm. At 5 pm Gidderbaha seat showed the highest 77.8% followed by Sardulgarh, 77% and Fazilka, 74.5 %, while Amritsar (south) showed the minimum turnout 48.06 %, Amritsar (east), 53% and Amritsar (west), 50.1%.

Meanwhile, in Ferozepur, at least two persons sustained injuries when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP workers clashed with each other alleging fake voting. Polling was also suspended at two polling stations briefly after a clash between rival parties.

In Gidderbaha seat, according to reports, police registered a case of attempt to murder (under section 307 IPC) against brother of SAD candidate Dimpy Dhillon and former’s six accomplices after a clash between SAD and Congress workers.

The police had also to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse groups of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress workers who clashed with each in Jalandhar Central accusing each other of casting bogus votes.

There were reports pertaining to glitches in EVMs at a few places including Moga constituency which were rectified soon. In Moga, the election commission had also impounded the car owned by Bollywood actor Sonu Sood on the complaint by the rival candidates of Sood’s sister Malvika who is fighting there.

It may be recalled that the voters’ turnout in 2017 polls was 77.4 %, in 2012, it was 78.3%, in 2007 it was 75.4 %, in 2002, it was 62.14% and it was 68.73% in 1997.