In free and fair polls,EC is people’s winner

Barring sporadic incidents of minor clashes,there were reports of a comprehensive peaceful elections all across the state in all the three regions of Majha,Malwa and Doaba.

Women,men,elders and first time voters all appeared enthusiastic exercising their franchise. With tight security arrangements,people even chose to take their wards to have a glimpse of the polling scene at various booths.

“Eho jehi aman amaan vaali chon main aapni poori zindagi vich nahi vekhi (I have not seen such a peaceful election in my whole life,” said Inder Singh,a voter of Amritsar East constituency who had been a witness to a number of elections after migrating from Gujranwala in Pakistan at the time of partition.

“People were very enthusiastic. By 12 noon,my booth had witnessed 60 per cent voting,” said Gurmeet Singh Brar,the presiding officer at booth No 54 in Jhabelwali village in Muktsar. The booth witnessed 85 per cent polling at the end of the day.

“It is good that elections this time were peaceful. The credit goes to the Election Commission for ensuring the same,” said Sangeeta,a voter in Amritsar.

“Unlike the elections in the past,where unfair practices,noise and chaos used to prevail,this election is fair and quiet,” said Pinky,while heading to her place along with others in an auto-rickshaw after casting her vote at a polling booth in Ranjit Avenue in the Amritsar North constituency.

“This is a neat and clean poll. This is an unparalleled poll,” said 74-year-old Gopal Singh after casting his vote at a polling booth in BBK DAV College at Amritsar.

Muktsar district Congress president Gurdas Girdhar was all praise for the Election Commission for ensuring “fair and peaceful” polls. “I appreciate the EC for fair and peaceful polls in Punjab where Muktsar saw a massive turnout of voters with nearly 85 per cent poll percentage,” Girdhar said.