— Photos: Akhilesh Kumar

DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT: Despite showers, voters await their turn to exercise their franchise at the Sohada polling booth at Kharar Assembly constituency in Punjab on Tuesday.

CHANDIGARH: Despite widespread rain in the region, over 65 per cent of the electorate in 115 out of the 117 Assembly constituencies and the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab exercised their franchise on Tuesday. Barring a few local skirmishes, polling was peaceful. According to the State Election department spokesman, 16,751 polling stations were set up for the 1.69 crore voters. In all, 90,000 election staff members and 70,000 security personnel were deployed.

Over 1,000 candidates

Over 1,000 candidates, including 117 from the ruling Congress, 94 from the Shiromani Akali Dal, 23 from the Bharatiya Janata Party and 116 from the Bahujan Samaj Party are in the fray.

While a maximum of 18 candidates each contested from Patiala Town and Ludhiana (Rural), Dasuya had the lowest number — just three.

Rain relents

Polling in urban areas, which remained slow earlier in the day, picked up as rain relented towards the afternoon.

However, in rural areas, enthusiastic voters, donning different wraps, queued up at the polling booths.

Supporters of various candidates were seen ferrying voters; at many places they even provided umbrellas.

When reports came in last, the highest turnout was recorded from Barnala and Sangrur districts, where at least 80 per cent voters exercised their franchise.

PTI

A scene outside a polling booth at Majitha.

Amritsar and Ludhiana districts recorded a moderate turnout at 55 and 59 per cent. The Zira constituency in Ferozepur district recorded 82 per cent vote.

A high turnout was registered in the Malwa belt that lies south of the Sutlej river, compared to Doaba districts located between the Sutlej and the Beas and the Majha region comprising the border districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran.

According to the spokesman, a case was registered against Finance Minister and Congress nominee for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat Surinder Singla for allegedly assaulting a presiding officer in a Majitha polling station.

While Mr. Singla denied the charge, his BJP opponent Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that the Congress candidate expressed his frustration sensing defeat.

Clash over bogus voting

In Lambi, Kapurthala and Mohali supporters of the rival political groups clashed over alleged bogus voting. Shiromani Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal is contesting in the constituency. Polling at few places was stopped temporarily due to some technical problems in electronic voting machines.

Rival claims

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh told reporters that the high turnout was in appreciation of the development undertaken by the Congress and it was set to create history, retaining power in the State.

Mr. Badal, interpreting the turnout as an expression of the people's anger against the policies of the State Government during the last five years, thanked the Punjabis for resisting "provocation" from frustrated political opportunists to disrupt free and fair polls.

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