Counting of votes for elections in five municipal corporations and 44 district councils and nagar panchayats across Punjab began on Saturday. Voting, held under tight security, began at 7am and ended at 4pm, with an average turnout of 55% by 3pm.
Polling was held in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara municipal corporations with over 3,300 candidates contesting at 3,809 polling stations. A total of 37.32 million voters, including 17.75 million women, were eligible to vote, and electronic voting machines (EVMs) facilitated the process.
The election was marred by allegations of fraud. The BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of orchestrating a fake vote in Patiala, but the ruling party denied the allegations. There were reports of violent exchanges and scuffles between AAP and BJP supporters in the city.
Prominent political leaders who voted included Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tarun Chu, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Ludhiana MLA Ashok Prashar and MLA Jalandhar Kant Palghat Singh. .
BJP leader Jai Inder Kaur alleged the presence of outsiders in Patiala and demanded police intervention. In a dramatic development, Sushil Nayyar, the BJP candidate for ward 34, threatened to self-immolate, claiming that fake votes were being counted. The situation worsened when Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh arrived at the scene and faced accusations from Bharatiya Janata Party supporters that the polling booth was being accessed without proper authorization.
Kaur, daughter of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, said AAP MLAs Chetan Singh Jawramajula and Gulal Ganaul were present in Ward 40 as outsiders, violating the model code of conduct. accused as. A complaint was filed with the state election commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party sought an FIR against the MLA for alleged cheating.
Meanwhile, the BJP has accused AAP supporters of targeting candidates in ward 40 and said AAP-backed miscreants were involved in fake voting in ward 9 in Amro in Fatehgarh Sahib. insisted. SAD also reported vandalism at a booth in Ward 15 of Patiala.
For AAP, these municipal elections are seen as an important test of support among urban voters, following its success in three out of four assembly polls in November. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann actively campaigned for AAP candidates, and newly appointed Punjab chief Aman Arora participated in the campaign and fulfilled his promises to voters.
The Congress, which currently has a majority in the regional corporations of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala, faces high stakes as it seeks to maintain its influence in urban Punjab.
With input from PTI
