Close X
Saturday, October 5, 2024
ADVT 
India

Elections 2014 Phase 7: Brisk Voting in Punjab

Darpan News Desk IANS, 29 Apr, 2014 11:25 PM
    Punjab was heading for an all-time high voter turnout of 73 percent with the balloting continuing beyond the 6 p.m. deadline as voters were still queued up, the Election Commission said here Wednesday.
     
    Punjab's chief electoral officer (CEO) V.K. Singh told media that voting was still continuing at various polling locations with people standing in queues beyond 6 p.m.
     
    "Those in the queue would be given opportunity to exercise their franchise. As per initial data collected by EC, the voting percentage was 68 percent that was expected to cross 73 percent with finalization of data at night," he said.
     
    In the 2009 general elections, Punjab had recorded 70.1 percent polling.
     
    All 13 Lok Sabha seats went to the polls in a single phase Wednesday with over 1.95 crore voters eligible to cast their franchise to decide the fate of 253 candidates were in the fray.
     
     
     
    Despite scorching heat of the day when temperatures stayed over 40 degrees Celsius in most places, balloting continued at a brisk pace.
     
    Singh said that enthusiastic polling was witnessed in Sangrur, Patiala and Bathinda, whereas moderate polling was witnessed in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.
     
    "The polling was largely peaceful. Only four FIRs of minor skirmishes were registered against 44 FIRs registered during 2009 Lok Sabha elections," he said.
     
    He said that at Rasoolpur village of Patiala constituency, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Dharamvir Gandhi was attacked by some political opponents and police has registered an FIR in this matter.
     
     
    In the same constituency, miscreants entered a polling booth in Tripari village of Patiala-rural area and threw the control unit of the electronic voting machine (EVM) on the ground, damaging it. Singh said that two people have been arrested in this connection.
     
    Small clashes were reported from three to four places across Punjab.
     
    Earlier, balloting remained brisk across most parts of the state. People queued up even before 7 a.m. when the polling stations opened.
     
    All eyes in the state were on the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat where Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley, fighting his first Lok Sabha election, was locked in a fierce contest with former chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress.
     
    However, both Jaitley and Amarinder Singh could not cast their ballot as they are not registered voters in Amritsar.
     
    Other prominent candidates are Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Bathinda) - the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP's three-time MP and actor Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur).
     
    Over 75,000 policemen and paramilitary troopers had been stationed across the state to ensure peaceful polling, said Director General of Police Suresh Arora.
     
     
    Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, who is also the Akali Dal president thanked people for turnout out in good numbers to cast their vote.
     
    Amarinder Singh also said that the record turnout was good for democracy.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Caught On Camera: Baba Ramdev tries to hush BJP candidate about money

    Caught On Camera: Baba Ramdev tries to hush BJP candidate about money
    Baba Ramdev is facing major embarrassment due to a video clip which shows Yoga Guru in conversation with the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate in Alwar, Mahant Chandnath.

    Caught On Camera: Baba Ramdev tries to hush BJP candidate about money

    India: Non vegetarian majority with a vegetarian ruling class?

    India: Non vegetarian majority with a vegetarian ruling class?
    The Hindu newspaper, which has its main office in Chennai, has asked its employees not to bring non vegetarian food to the dining room because the smell offends vegetarian members of the staff. Is it an illiberal step? In the times we live, dietary restriction, or license, would be the wrong measure to gauge liberalism in a newspaper office. 

    India: Non vegetarian majority with a vegetarian ruling class?

    Mayawati bares her prime ministerial ambitions

    Mayawati bares her prime ministerial ambitions
    A day after Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said he would stake claim for the prime minister’s post, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati Friday said if her supporters voted intelligently, a "Dalit ki beti" could well be at the helm of affairs of the central government.

    Mayawati bares her prime ministerial ambitions

    Modi open to pan-India retail tax, pushes for jobs, infrastructure

    Modi open to pan-India retail tax, pushes for jobs, infrastructure
    A pan-India goods and services tax with the support of state governments, a push for infrastructure and privatisation of state units without politics are among the assurances of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi if voted to power.

    Modi open to pan-India retail tax, pushes for jobs, infrastructure

    Modi for Team India, says won't divide country in name of secularism

    Modi for Team India, says won't divide country in name of secularism
    Pitching for a "Team India", BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said Friday his appeal would not be to Hindus and Muslims but to the entire people of the country.

    Modi for Team India, says won't divide country in name of secularism

    Arvind Kejriwal admits his 'mistake': I should have asked people

    Arvind Kejriwal admits his 'mistake': I should have asked people
    AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who admitted he should have consulted the people before deciding to quit as Delhi chief minister, has launched a dialogue with voters here as he takes on his formidable BJP rival, prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

    Arvind Kejriwal admits his 'mistake': I should have asked people