Punjab's voters turnout 71%: EC

Women outnumbered men in exercising their franchise to decide the fate of 253 contestants fighting for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab where 71% polling was recorded yesterday.

The Punjab Election Commission today gave the final figure of vote percentage as 71 in the state, where the total size of electorate is 1.95 crore.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls the polling percentage was 70, an election office spokesman said here.

While 71.23% women cast their votes in the state, men recorded a polling percentage of 70.77.

The total number of registered male voters in the state is 1,02,66,741 as against 92,60,136 female voters, the election commission said.

The Election Commission had yesterday given the poll percentage in the state as 73% which it amended today as 71%.

Maximum 77.48% each polling took place in Bathinda and Sangrur while Hoshiarpur recorded minimum 65.29% polling. Bathinda and Sangrur Lok Sabha seats had recorded maximum polling of 83.49% and 83.52% respectively in 2009 Lok Sabha polls as well.

Budhlada assembly segment in Bathinda Parliamentary constituency recorded 82.27% polling -- the highest in the state.

SAD sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is daughter-in- law of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is contesting against her husband and deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's cousin Manpreet Singh Badal of Congress from Bathinda.