Tempers ran high at several polling stations as scuffles and minor incidents of violence were reported during the voting, which remained by and large peaceful, to the 14 assembly constituencies of Ludhiana on Sunday.
Enthusiasm writ large on voters' faces
Enthusiastic voters were seen at several places. A bride went to cast her vote in Samrala before solemnising her marriage. Voters, especially the first-timers, queued up since early morning to cast their vote at several booths. There were reports of a few centenarians also exercising their franchise.
A large number of women were seen in queues at the polling booth in rural segments.
Foolproof bandobast
Officials said necessary arrangements, including those pertaining to security, were put in place to ensure smooth polling.
As many as 2,979 polling stations, including 14 auxiliary, had been set up at 1,405 locations in the district. While 712 polling stations and 377 locations had been declared vulnerable, 785 stations and 400 polling locations had been identified as critical.
Argument over 'fake' voting
Congress MLA Surinder Dawar and SAD candidate Pritpal Singh Palli had a verbal duel over allegations of fake voting. When Dawar, along with his supporters, came to the polling booth on the Neela Jhanda road as polling staff was not allowing him to cast vote due to some issue, SAD candidate Palli along with party workers raised allegations of booth capturing attempt by the MLA. Later, police came and the matter was resolved.
Congress woman worker manhandled
A Congress woman worker was allegedly attacked by SAD workers at Tibba in the East constituency on sunday evening. She said the SAD had accepted its defeat and now they were intimidating Congress workers who worked for the party. A complaint was lodged by the victim. After the incident, she held a dharna outside the Tibba police station and demanded action against the SAD workers. ADCP Sharma said the matter was being probed and justice would be delivered.
Congress worker booked for distributing ration
The Sadar police registered a case against a Congress worker, Gagandeep Arora, and an unknown person for allegedly distributing ration, suits and other things to voters at Threeke village. A case has been registered against the accused. — Nikhil Bhardwaj
District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar claimed total peaceful polling. "No untoward incident was reported and it was all peaceful exercise," they told The Tribune at the end of the polling.
However, two FIRs ndash; one against a Congress supporter for illegally recording and uploading video of his casting vote in Ludhiana West and another also against the ruling party supporters for allegedly attacking Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee from Gill Sucha Ram Ladhar ndash; were lodged till the reports last came in.
As democracy was lost in the elections, the enthusiasm of voters notwithstanding, the high and mighty candidates ndash; supported by both ruling Congress and the main Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine, the BJP, with its new allies former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and SAD's breakaway faction SAD (Sanyukt), led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) and the newly-formed two farmers' outfits — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), comprising 19 farm unions, including the one led by Balbir Singh Rajewal, and Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP) formed by Haryana farm leader Gurnam Singh Charuni ndash; and Independents had their own way.
Vishal, a groom, shows the ink mark after casting vote
After parting ways over contentious farm laws, the SAD and the BJP contested the Assembly polls separately for the first time.
The voter turnout in Ludhiana remained 65 per cent till 8 pm, with district officials saying the figures may vary slightly when the entire data is tabulated manually.
DC Varinder Sharma and CP Gurpreet Bhullar at a polling station in Ludhiana.
This was almost 10 per cent less than 74.74 per cent polling recorded in the district during the 2017 Assembly elections, which gave eight seats to the ruling Congress, three to AAP, two to the LIP and one to the SAD. While one of the AAP MLA from Dakha had quit, necessitating a by-poll, which was won by the SAD, another AAP MLA from Raikot had recently switched over to the Congress.
However, the district's voter turnout was almost 2 per cent more than 62.77 per cent registered during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. Ludhiana's polling was also 5 per cent less than the state's average of 70 per cent voter turnout.
Women and men, young and old, ruralites and urbanites were seen lined up in queues outside the polling booths as the day progressed.
While Dakha recorded the highest of 73.9 per cent voter turnout, Ludhiana West reported the lowest of 53.6 per cent polling till the reports last came in.
Though there are a total of 175 official contestants in poll fray, it is for the first time in the political history that almost all 14 Assembly seats — Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Payal, Dakha, Raikot and Jagraon — in the district witnessed a multi-cornered battle this time. Four constituencies — Gill, Payal, Raikot and Jagraon 1 are reserved for members of the Scheduled Caste community.
The polling began at 8 am and continued till 6 pm, officials said.
Polling figures compiled by the district election office till 8.45 pm revealed that as many as 17,42,000 voters of the total 26,93,131 exercised their franchise to elect 14 legislators in the district.
The counting of votes would be held on March 10 and the results would be declared the same day.
With sporadic reports of chaos and minor violence going mostly unnoticed or found unreasonable, the election process culminated peacefully. With the affected candidates, mostly from the Opposition parties, crying foul, it was the candidates, a majority from the ruling Congress, succeeding in their "mission", who had the last laugh.
But the story was not the same in all the Vidhan Sabha segments. Several places saw total peaceful polling and maximum voter turnout.
Polling was disrupted for some time at some booths following snags in electronic voting machines (EVMs), which were restored within minutes.
Supporters gave a tough time to the police in several areas, where tension prevailed throughout the day, as heavy police force intervened many times to ward off supporters of rival groups to avoid a clash.
Meanwhile, polling remained at a low ebb at the beginning of the day and an average polling of 3.81 per cent was recorded in the first hour till 9 am, 5.8 per cent till 10 am, 6.22 per cent till 11 am and 8.7 per cent till 12 noon, but picked up pace as the day progressed and touched 18.4 per cent till 1 pm, 34.2 per cent till 2 pm, 45.11 per cent till 3 pm, 48.5 per cent till 4 pm, 57.2 per cent till 5 pm and reaching 65 per cent by the end of polling process at 6 pm.
Even after the polling booths shut their doors at 6 pm, voters were seen queued at almost 54 polling booths in different constituencies with maximum rush witnessed at nine booths in Sahnewal, followed by six each in Atam Nagar, Raikot, Ludhiana North and Jagraon.
As per details, almost 2,000 voters were waiting for their turn at nine Assembly seats, with a maximum of 360 queuing up at Jagraon after 6 pm.
"All voters, who had entered the booths by 6 pm, were allowed to vote," the DC said after visiting the booths with queues of voters in the Atam Nagar constituency. He was accompanied by the CP.
Sources said several impersonators were held at polling booths and were let off by officials after the polling was over as no formal complaints were received against them.
Most of the bogus voters, who were detected from several wards, were either young boys or migratory labourers posing as voters.
However, the police denied any such incident while claiming that no case was registered in this regard till the reports last came in.
The police had to call additional forces in some areas to bring the situation under control just before the polling was scheduled to end.
Officers remained on toes
Civil and police officers, led by District Election Officer-cum-DC Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, remained on foot the whole day. Sharma and Bhullar claimed that polling was by and large peaceful with no violence reported from any part of the district. Election observers also supervised the poll exercise throughout the day.
Leaders boost supporters
Ruling and opposition MLAs accompanied with their respective party leaders kept boosting their supporters in and around polling booths during the voting. The fate of a total 175 candidates, including two ministers, two former SAD ministers, four former bureaucrats, AAP's deputy leader of opposition and 12 women, was sealed in EVMs.
DC, CP thank voters
District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar thanked the voters of Ludhiana district for coming out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right. They said by conducting themselves responsibly, the voters have set an excellent example. They said the focus of the administration was to ensure a peaceful poll in a free, fair and transparent manner. They said it was a matter of satisfaction that 28 exclusive polling stations, 14 each for women and PwDs, also saw large voter turnout. They said the main feature of the elections was deputation of 1,000 micro observers from the Centre, 14 election observers, including five general from IAS cadre, six expenditure from IRS, and three police from IPS cadre, 82 QRTs and 42 flying squads, who remained on the roll as 14 Returning Officers conducted the polling.
