Violence mars rural elections,65% vote

State election commissioner SS Brar said there was no report of any major untoward incident from any polling booth. “Fortunately,there was no incident of any major hurt or injury by firing or even use of sharp weapons,” he said.

However,the police booked several Congress workers in Lambi after they allegedly set on fire six vehicles “trying to stop Akali workers from capturing a polling booth”. At least four persons were reported injured in the clashes between Akali and Congress workers at Mann village.

Reports of violence and allegations of booth capturing were also received from Moga and Faridkot. Allegations of Akali and Congress supporters running away with ballot boxes too were reported from several places.

Nearly 25 people received minor injuries when violence broke out in some blocks in Patiala district,police said. In Mial Kalan village in Patiala,attempts were made to rig polling in some booths.

The day saw an enthusiastic turnout of voters despite the scorching heat.

People had started queueing up early in the morning to exercise their franchise. The highest turnout was registered in Mansa where 72 per cent of the electorate cast their votes. The lowest turnout,52.81 per cent,was recorded in the border district of Tarn Taran.

Hoshiarpur (57.21 per cent),Pathankot (58 per cent) and Tarn Taran (58.75 per cent) registered less than 60 per cent polling while Sangrur,Muktsar,Ludhiana,Fatehgarh Sahib and Bathinda each witnessed 70 per cent poll turnout. Amritsar (60 per cent),Kapurthala (62 per cent),Jalandhar (63 per cent),Faridkot (62 per cent),Fazilka (65 per cent),Moga (62 per cent),Patiala (64 per cent),Roopnagar (64.4 per cent) registered between 60 and 65 per cent voting while SBS Nagar (65.2 per cent),Ajit Garh (69 per cent),Barnala (67 per cent) and Ferozepur (69 per cent) witnessed between 65 and 70 per cent polling.

While the ruling SAD-BJP alliance thanked the people of Punjab for “peaceful voting for the 22 zila parishads and 146 panchayat samitis”,the Congress alleged that the entire polling process was rigged.

In a statement,SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said,“The overwhelming and peaceful response of rural voters has signalled the landslide victory of SAD-BJP combine,putting the last nail in the coffin of anti-Punjab and corrupt Congress party in the state”.

Congratulating the Punjabis for overwhelmingly rejecting the Congress party and its “declared and undeclared allies”,Sukhbir said that the resurgent voting in the rural Punjab has exposed the “malicious propaganda of Congress party that was bent upon painting a gloomy picture of the state”.

Meanwhile,PCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa said Sukhbir was living a great illusion that he was a popular leader but “the fact remains he has no respect for democratic values and no concern for plight of the people of Punjab”.

Rebutting a statement by Sukhbir to decimate the Congress in Punjab,Bajwa said,“Congress is a 125-year old national party and had obtained 40.09 per cent votes in the last Assembly elections whereas SAD got only 34.7 per cent votes”. Reminding Sukhbir that 60 per cent people of the state voted against the SAD,Bajwa said that Akalis had manipulated the victory by undemocratic means and was surviving with the support of BJP.