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Punjab Municipal Elections 2021 Latest Updates: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) reportedly accused the Congress of “booth-capturing” during the panchayat polls in Punjab on Sunday. News18 reported that SAD members blocked the road outside the DAV College in Bathinda. “Congressmen indulged in booth capturing and unleashed widespread violence against opposition parties,” the SAD said. As the voting in the panchayat polls across Punjab wound down on Sunday, members of the Aam Aadmi Party staged a dharna in the Samana and Patti areas of the state. News18 reported that they were protesting against the alleged “high-handedness” of the leaders of the ruling Congress party. According to reports, a voter turnout of over 55 percent has been recorded in the Punjab municipal polls till 2 pm. Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and AAP leader demanded Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s resignation over incidents of violence during the municipal elections in the state. “Instead of protecting the people of Punjab he is promoting his goons and suppressing the people’s voices,” Cheema alleged.
According to news agency PTI, there were reports of skirmishes and heated exchanges between Congress workers and Opposition parties at some places, including Jagraon, Batala, Rupnagar, Rajpura, Tarn Taran and Bathinda.
Around 37 per cent polling was registered till 12 noon on Sunday for the civic body elections in Punjab, officials said. The voting began at 8 am and it will continue till 4 pm, they said. Tensions gripped Batala as Congress and BJP workers clashed, reported News18, adding that the situation was controlled by the police in time. A voter turnout of 48.42 percent was recorded till noon in Bathinda, said reports. Akali Dal candidate Parveen Kumar Pinna, who is contesting the Moga MC election from ward number 36, was assaulted by unidentified persons outside the Arya School polling booth. The polling in Punjab’s Muktsar district began on a violent note, with senior vice president of Muktsar municipal council Yadwinder Singh Yadu, a Congress candidate from Ward 4, and his supporter Sudhir Sharma getting injured in a late night clash between Kotkapura Road on the outskirts of Muktsar town, said reports. According to News18, a dense fog cover affected voting in Ferozepur. Polling is underway for the civic body elections in Punjab, reports PTI quoting officials. The voting began at 8 am on Sunday and it will continue till 4 pm, they said. Out of the total 9,222 candidates in the fray, 2,832 are contesting as Independents, 2,037 are of the ruling Congress and 1,569 of the Akali Dal. The BJP, which is facing a lot of heat over the new bills, has put 1,003 candidates. The Aam Aadmi Party and the BSP have fielded 1,606 and 160 candidates respectively. The voting for elections to eight municipal corporations of Abohar, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Moga and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held from 8 am till 4 pm. A total of 9,222 candidates are in the fray for 2,302 wards. Out of the total candidates, 2,832 are contesting as independents, 2,037 are of the ruling Congress and 1,569 of the Akali Dal. The number of candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the BSP are 1,003, 1,606 and 160 respectively. All the arrangements are in place for the civic body elections, an official spokesperson of the State Election Commission said on Saturday. The official spokesperson of the State Election Commission said it has set up 4,102 polling stations and out of which, 1,708 have been declared as sensitive and 861 as hypersensitive. The spokesperson said every voter who enters the polling station before 4 pm will have the right to vote. The counting of votes will take place on 17 February. The State Election Commission has also announced 14 and 17 February as dry days. 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. 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. A total of 30 IAS or PCS officers have been deputed as observers to conduct free and fair elections, said the spokesperson. In these elections, 50 percent of seats have been reserved for women. 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. Several Punjab ministers including Manpreet Singh Badal and Balbir Singh Sidhu had canvassed for the Congress nominees. The SAD and the BJP are fighting these elections separately after the former walked out of the National Democratic Alliance over the farm laws issue last year. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other party leaders campaigned for their party 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. 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.