Jalandhar records lowest turnout in four polls; all parties say favours them

Sibin C said the final voting percentage may go up once all the data is compiled and the exact figure will be known on Thursday.

Among the nine assembly segments that fall under Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, Kartarpur and Shahkot recorded highest 57.4 per cent turnout each while Jalandhar Central (48.9 per cent) reported lowest. Jalandhar West recorded 56.5 per cent followed by 55.9 per cent each in Nakodar, 55.8 per cent in Phillaur, 54.45 per cent in Jalandhar North, 54 per cent in Adampur and 49.7 per cent in Jalandhar Cantt, as per figures available.

The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Jalandhar seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary due to a cardiac arrest during his party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal are vying to outdo each other in the Dalit stronghold.

Congress has fielded Chaudhary’s wife Karamjit Kaur, while BJP has bet on Akali import Inder Iqbal Atwal. The SAD-BSP has named Banga MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi and the AAP has fielded former Congress MLA Sushil Rinku.

The turnout may be the lowest in last four polls, but all key contestants claimed that the low numbers work in their favour.

Since the byelection is being seen as a precursor to next year’s Lok Sabha elections and municipal corporation polls due in the state anytime, all parties had left no stone unturned to put the seat in their kitty.

The Aam Aadmi Party leaders said that a low turnout always favours the ruling party. However, leaders of Opposition Congress said that in the Sangrur byelection last year, the turnout was only 45.3 per cent. “Why then did the ruling party lose the election,?” asked a Congress leader.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted at least four times Wednesday, asking the voters to come out and exercise their franchise.

“We are winning. The reports coming from rural and urban constituencies are very encouraging. This time, people want to send an AAP MP to Lok Sabha,” said Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who is also the ruling partuy’s incharge for the byelection.

Another AAP leader said that the rural areas were voting for AAP and so were the Jalandhar (West) and other city areas. The North and Central segments did not have an encouraging turnout. The city areas were the citadel of Congress. Hence, AAP stands a fair chance, said a leader.

Akali Dal spokesperson Parambans Singh Romana said, “How is AAP claiming victory? There was no enthusiasm among the voters. Akali workers are known for their tenacity, they were on the ground and mobilising people to go and vote. The number reached 50 per cent at 5 pm only because the Akali workers were mobilising people,” he said adding that this time the seat would go into the SAD’s kitty.

The Congress was not convinced with any argument. A party leader said, “What is the percentage AAP is talking about?
At 4 pm, Nakodar recorded 41.6 per cent turnout, Shahkot recorded 42.6 per cent, in Phillaur it was 45 per cent, Kartarpur recorded 43.8 per cent, and Adampur recorded 41.4 per cent. Similarly, the urban segments including Jalandhar West, North, Cantt and Central recorded the turnout of 42 per cent, 42 per cent, 38.2 per cent and 36.6 per
cent respectively”.

He added, “If AAP is thinking it was doing well in Jalandhar West, since they poached on our former MLA and named him the candidate, then why is the turnout not 75 per cent?”

The BJP, eyeing the seat ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections, when it wants to make a mark in Punjab, especially after recruiting a number of Congress and SAD leaders, said that they were hopeful of victory. “It is a four-cornered contest. Just wait and watch how it fans out. This turnout is actually helping us,” said a BJP leader.

After the polling began, voters, especially elders and women could be seen standing in queues at many polling stations in the constituency. A few incidents of scuffle and altercations were reported between the AAP and opposition party members at some booths in Phillaur, Shahkot and other areas.

The Punjab chief electoral officer said the polling remained peaceful. “It was a matter of satisfaction that all polling stations saw a good number of voters,” he said.
During the day voters talked about several issues. In Nakodar, people raised the issue of murder of Timmi Chawla, a cloth merchant, who was killed for not paying extortion.

In Shahkot’s Nangal Ambian village people were not happy with the indifferent approach of the government towards the killing of international Kabaddi player, Sandeep Singh Nangal Ambian, who was shot dead during a match in Nakodar in March last year. Main conspirator in the case, Surjon Singh Chatha, an NRI and the president of North Indian Kabaddi Federation, was arrested after a year just before the elections when Congress raised the matter. Chatha was moving freely in Jalandhar for the past one year. People said that still there are several accused living abroad who have not been extradited in Kabaddi players’ murder cases.

In Adampur and Jalandhar Cantt, people were talking about Sidhu Moosewala’s murder case and how his parents were being harassed by the government.

During the camnpaign, while the AAP highlighted their one year’s achievements, BJP sought votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SAD-BSP in the of five-time former CM Parkash Singh Badal who died last month and Congress on poor governance.