| Notwithstanding inclement weather, an estimated 65 per cent of the 16.6 million voters today exercised their franchise in Punjab Assembly elections as one of the most bitterly-fought polls in the state passed off by and large peacefully.
|
| |
| About 65 per cent polling was reported for the bye-election to Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, where Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla is pitted against former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu of BJP in a high-profile prestige battle.
|
| |
| In New Delhi, the Election Commission said 65.1 per cent of the electorate cast their votes for choosing their representatives out of the 1,038 candidates for 115 of the total of 117 constituencies. Polling in two constituencies will be held later.
|
| |
| The polling began on a dull note as steady downpour kept the voters at home but it picked up once the sky cleared up as the day progressed.
|
| |
| The exercise was marred by stray incidents of scuffles at a few places between ruling Congress and main Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporters at Lambi, the constituency from where former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is seeking re-election, Ludhiana, Jalandhar North, Amritsar Central, Giderbaha, Mansa and Mohali, officials said.
|
| |
| Besides Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from Patiala town and Akali Dal supremo Badal, the key contestants included Punjab Congress chief Shamsher Singh Dullo from Khanna reserve, Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Lehra), SAD-Amritsar chief Simranjit Singh Mann (Dhanaula) and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur (Bholath).
|
| |
| The Majitha police registered a case against Surinder Singla for allegedly slapping assistant presiding officer S S Dhaliwal in the Majitha Assembly constituency.
|
| |
| An exit poll conducted by TV channel CNN-IBN gave equal vote shares to both the Congress and Akali-BJP combine at 41 per cent. Both have managed to pull a 5 per cent vote swing in their favour, according to the poll which predicted 50-60 seats for the two main contesting political formations.
|
| |
| The pre-poll surveys have given a mixed verdict. Channel No. 1, a local channel, gives 56 per cent of the votes polled to the SAD-BJP combine and 35 per cent to the ruling Congress. Another regional player, Jain TV, in its survey conducted on February 10 gave 71 seats to Congress and 37 to SAD-BJP.
|
| |
| The survey conducted by the Centre for Study of Developing Societies predicts victory for Congress by a margin of over 5 per cent of the total votes cast over the SAD-BJP combine. |
| |
|
| |
Content Guide
