State had witnessed a turnout of 78% in the 2017 Assembly elections
Punjab saw a sizeable decline in voters’ turnout when the State recorded 65.32 per cent polling on Sunday in comparison to a voters turnout of 78 per cent in the 2017 Assembly polls. Sunday’s voting will seal the fate of as many as 1,304 candidates, including 93 women, in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Even though the polling continued even after 6 pm, and the Election Commission of India released the figure of 65.32 per cent by 9:30 pm, the Office of Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) did not come out with the updated official data.
The State’s CEO Dr S Karuna Raju claimed that the polls remained peaceful with “not a single case of disruption of poll and inducement of voters that was brought to the Commission’s notice during the day”. However, several complaints were made and allegations were levelled by some party leaders and candidates over malfunctioning of EVMs, while reports of firing, clashes between two groups, skirmishes, arguments, attack on candidates, were also reported from different places.
“As far as the law-and-order situation is concerned, some minor poll-related incidents were witnessed in the State and a total of 18 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered on the day of polling to avert any untoward incidents,” said Dr. Raju in the official statement released after the completion of polling time, which is till 6 pm.
The commission’s spokesperson maintained that compiling the final figure “is a long and manual process as the figures are being collected from all 24,740 polling stations and will be matched with statutory papers, which is taking time and the data is being compiled to assure that there should not be an error in the final figure”.
The maximum polling percentage was witnessed at 77.8 per cent in Gidderbaha, while the lowest at 50.1 per cent was recorded in Amritsar West.
The State has recorded a dip in the total voter turnout this time as compared to 65.96 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 77.37 per cent in the 2017 Assembly polls, and 70.89 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. However, the election authorities claimed that the final figure is expected to surpass 70 per cent, which will be shared by Monday evening.
The fate of many stalwarts, including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Badal, Aam Aadmi Party State unit president Bhagwant Mann, and many others, is now locked in the EVMs and would be declared along with others on March 10.
The CEO said that in the morning during the mock poll, 146 ballot units, 152 control units, and 433 VVPAT machines were replaced, while 72 ballot units, 64 control units, and 649 VVPATs were replaced during the conduct of the poll.
Earlier during the day, AAP leader Raghav Chadha alleged EVM glitches at several booths across Punjab, while also accusing SAD and Congress of booth capturing. In a series of tweets, Chadha accused the rival parties of impairing EVMs and has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate action.
“Reports coming in from Guru Har Sahai AC, Booth No. 23. Capturing attempted by SAD workers. They entered booths & are asking polling officers to let their NRI family members to vote (through someone on their behalf) else they won't allow anyone to vote,” Raghav Chadha wrote in a tweet.
Lashing out at Cong’s ‘polling agent’ for not letting voters freely exercise their franchise, he said, “In Bhoa AC's Booth No 95, a polling agent of Congress has placed his chair next to EVM so that he has a clear view of who is voting for which party. He isn't removing his chair despite complaints.”
He further went on to accuse the poll officers of ‘not applying ink’ on voters who have cast their votes. “This is a serious issue and can lead to bogus voting,” he added. However, no calcification on the same was provided by the Commission.
Besides, two sons of Ferozepur Urban BJP candidate Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and Bollywood actor Mahie Gill besides an aide of the constituency’s Congress nominee were booked for poll code violation.
A clash was also reported to have taken place between workers of BJP and AAP at a border village in Ferozepur (urban). In Kurali, which falls in Kharar assembly seat, SAD candidate Ranjit Singh Gill complained about a disagreement between presiding officer at Model Town booth and his polling agents, leading to some protests.