Punjab sees turnout of 65.7%

Chandigarh

Facing sweltering heat, at least 65.77 per cent voters cast their ballot for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab today. The figure was 70.69 per cent in the 2014 elections.

Except minor skirmishes, polls were largely peaceful in the seventh and the final phase. A firing incident, following a heated discussion, was reported in Talwandi Sabo town of the Bathinda constituency. Bathinda Rural Congress president Khushbaz Jattana was booked along with 11 other party workers. Voting was stopped for some time after SAD worker Jalour Singh was injured.

In Khadoor Sahib, a voter of Saraly Kalar village, Bunty, was killed with a sharp-edged weapon when he was returning home after casting his vote. Officials, however, did not clarify if it was an election-related murder. Sarpanch Chhattar Singh of Sodhoke village in Amritsar was booked for disorderly conduct near the polling stations. Polling for the Amritsar seat remained largely peaceful.

Elsewhere, a drunk Akali sarpanch was arrested for creating ruckus inside the polling booth of Sidhuwal village of Patiala constituency.

Windowpanes of the car of former SAD minister Sikander Singh Maluka were broken in Rampura Phul of Faridkot constituency allegedly by Congress men.

The hot seat of Gurdaspur, witnessing a battle between PPCC chief and sitting MP Sunil Jakhar and film star Sunny Deol of the BJP, remained peaceful with an elaborate police ‘bandobast’.

Meanwhile, rejecting exit poll reports, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said “their accuracy was suspect. I expect the Congress to do much better both at the national level and in the state.” Thanking the voters for turning out in large numbers, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “The incidents of violence and intimidation indulged in by our rivals marred what would have been a peaceful and dignified exercise of democratic will by the people of Punjab.”

Punjab AAP chief and Sangrur candidate Bhagwant Mann said, “I saw representatives of all parties sitting on one table and exchanging notes. This is a very positive sign for democracy. High voter turnout showed that they wanted to participate in functioning of our democracy.”

Punjab has 278 candidates in the fray, of which 24 are women.