Punjab civic body polls: Voting to be held today between 8 am to 4 pm; 9,222 candidates in the fray for 2,302 wards

Voting for eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held today (Sunday, 14 February) from 8 am till 4 pm, the state election commission said, asserting that all the arrangements are in place for the civic body polls. The eight municipal corporations where voting will be held on 14 February include Abohar, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Moga. Besides this, a total of 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats will also be held. The official spokesperson of the Punjab State Election Commission said it has set up 4,102 polling stations. Out of these, 1,708 have been declared as sensitive and 861 as hypersensitive. According to PTI, a total of 9,222 candidates are in the fray for 2,302 wards in the Punjab civic body polls. In these elections, 50 percent of seats have been reserved for women. Time and date of voting, counting According to the state election commission, voting in the 2,302 wards will be held from 8 am to 4 pm. The official spokesperson of the Punjab State Election Commission told PTI that every voter who enters the polling station before 4 pm will have the right to vote. There are 20,49,777 male, 18,65,354 female, and 149 transgender voters, totalling 39,15,280 registered voters in the state of Punjab for the civic elections. The counting of votes will take place on 17 February. The State Election Commission has also announced 14 and 17 February as dry days. 7000 EVMS, 19,000 police personnel deployed Around 7,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been deployed for voting. A total of 25,010 employees have also been deputed. Around 19,000 police personnel have been deputed to conduct free and fair elections, said the spokesperson. A total of 30 IAS or PCS officers have been deputed as observers to conduct free and fair elections, said the spokesperson. SAD, BJP go solo All the main political parties had canvassed vigorously during the campaigning for the civic body elections in the state which will see Assembly polls next year. Out of the total candidates, 2,832 are contesting as independents and 2,037 are of the ruling Congress. Several Punjab ministers including Manpreet Singh Badal and Balbir Singh Sidhu had canvassed for the Congress nominees. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are fighting these elections separately after the former walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the farm laws issue last year. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other party leaders campaigned for their party candidates. The party has fielded 1,569 candidates in the civic body polls. The BJP, which is facing a lot of heat over the new bills, has put 1,003 candidates. The BJP leaders and candidates had faced farmers’ protest during campaigning with the saffron party accusing the Congress of unleashing hooliganism in the guise of farmers. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BSP have fielded 1,606 and 160 candidates, respectively. Several senior AAP leaders including Raghav Chadha had held roadshows in several parts of the state and had sought votes for the nominees of the main opposition party in Punjab. The Opposition had accused the Congress of misusing the government machinery to win these polls, a charge denied by the ruling party. With inputs from PTI