61.5% turnout in Punjab civic polls amid political clashes

Clashes involving supporters of Congress, AAP, BJP and SAD and allegations of booth capturing were reported at several places in Punjab during the civic elections that saw 61.5 per cent polling on Tuesday.

The final percentage of voter turnout may change after data is compiled by returning officers.

The local body elections are being seen as crucial for all major political parties of the State as these are taking place ahead of the Assembly polls next year.

Congress candidate from Ward number 4 in Raikot, Jagdev Singh Jagga, was injured in an attack with sharp-edged weapons by a group of people. He was admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana, officials said.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the incident and slammed the AAP Government over the law and order situation in the State.

“The brutal attack on Congress candidate Jagdev Singh Jagga in Raikot exposes the complete collapse of law and order under the Bhagwant Mann Government. Gangsters and political goons are roaming freely while the Government is busy with ads and reels. If election candidates are unsafe, imagine the condition of common people in Punjab,” Warring said on X.

In Barnala, the husband of the BJP candidate from Ward number 15, Deepinder Kaur, was assaulted by a group of people following heated exchanges after he made allegations of bogus voting. His turban was removed, and he suffered injuries, after which he was taken to a hospital.

A clash erupted between the supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gidderabha in Muktsar district during polling in Ward numbers 18 and 19, officials said.

The SAD later lodged a complaint with the Punjab State Election Commission against AAP MLA Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and others, accusing them of indulging in booth capturing, assault and intimidation during municipal elections and demanded an FIR be registered against them.

Tension prevailed in Samana in Patiala supporters of two rival political parties clashed and later pelted stones at cops during polling in Ward number 19.

The police resorted to cane charging to disperse the crowd, and polling was temporarily stalled, the officials said.

In Amritsar’s Majitha, supporters of SAD and AAP clashed, prompting police to intervene in the matter, they said.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked the Mann Government over the incident and alleged that during the council elections in Majitha, AAP workers, with the support of the Punjab Police, indulged in booth capturing, violence and intimidation.

He further said that a Sikh youth was stripped of his turban and alleged that Majitha is no longer governed by the rule of law.

He claimed that Congress candidates, independent candidates, opposition workers and ordinary voters were subjected to intimidation and hooliganism during polling.

In Mour Mandi, the supporters of the BJP and AAP were involved in heated exchanges.

Polling through ballot papers began at 8 am. The counting of votes will take place on May 29.

Elections were held on Tuesday in 1,896 wards across eight municipal corporations — Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala, and Pathankot — besides 75 municipal councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats, officials said

A total of 7,555 candidates are in the fray. The ruling party AAP has fielded the highest number of candidates at 1,801, followed by 1,550 from the Congress, 1,316 from the BJP, 1,251 from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and 96 from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Besides, there are 1,528 Independent candidates contesting the polls.

Voters, particularly elderly individuals and women, were seen queuing up at polling booths in the morning to avoid scorching heat during the day.

Among early voters, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma cast his vote at a polling booth in Pathankot.

Punjab Congress chief Warring, along with his wife Amrita Warring, reached a polling station in Muktsar on a bullock cart. He said that he wanted to give a message to the Union Government that ordinary citizens are “suffering” because of the frequent fuel price hike.

Punjab Minister Aman Arora, along with his wife, cast votes at a polling booth in Sunam.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Majithia alleged that there was no arrangement of wheelchairs for differently abled voters at polling stations.  He claimed that voters who were unable to walk independently were facing inconvenience.

There were 35,45,567 registered voters for these municipal bodies, which include 17,11,635 women and 220 others.

A total of 740 polling booths were declared sensitive and 275 hyper-sensitive. Around 35,000 election personnel and 32,000 police personnel were deployed on election duty.

Officials said elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure smooth, peaceful, and transparent polling.

The local body elections were being seen as crucial for all major political parties — the AAP, BJP, Congress, and SAD — as these are taking place ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.

The civic polls were seen as a litmus test for the ruling AAP, which is hoping to retain power in the State.