Polling for gram panchayat members in Punjab ended on Tuesday under tight security arrangements, officials confirmed. Voting for sarpanches and panches, conducted through ballot papers, began at 8 a.m. and concluded by 4 p.m. The State Election Commission reported that votes would be counted at the respective polling stations.
A voter turnout of more than 45% was recorded. However, the polling process saw violence in some areas. A firing incident occurred outside a polling booth at Sohal Sain Bhagat village in Tarn Taran district, leaving Mandeep Singh injured. He was rushed to the hospital, where his condition was reported to be stable. Police said the firing resulted from a scuffle between two groups, and an investigation is underway.
In Patiala’s Khudde village, two people were injured after a man opened fire during a clash between rival political factions outside a polling booth. DSP Gurdev Singh Dhaliwal confirmed that a probe has been initiated, with police looking into the cause of the conflict.
In Ludhiana, the State Election Commission canceled polling in Dalla and Pona villages in Jagraon sub-division due to technical issues. Meanwhile, voter turnout in Ludhiana reached 58% by 4 p.m., according to the District Election Office.
The elections saw a brisk pace of polling in Malerkotla, where 28.20% votes were cast by noon. Mohali also witnessed steady participation, with 13.2% of voters turning out by 10 a.m., with polling progressing smoothly in most of the 266 panchayats.
Security concerns continued in Bagrian village, where a sarpanch candidate, Paramjit Singh, who was recently injured in an attack by armed assailants, camped outside a polling booth to encourage his supporters. Extra security was deployed in sensitive areas following the attack.
Meanwhile, in Chakk Kalan village, Nawanshahr, supporters of sarpanch candidate Asha Rani demanded the cancellation of the elections, alleging a mix-up with her election symbol. Voters complained that instead of the ‘matka pot’ symbol, a ‘bucket’ was displayed, leading to confusion.
The elections across the state saw participation from 1.33 crore voters, with 1,001 polling booths declared hypersensitive.
