Tribune News Service
Chandigarh/Muktsar, February 14
The polling for municipal council elections began on a violent note in Muktsar on Sunday.
Former senior vice president of Muktsar municipal council Yadwinder Singh Yadu, a Congress candidate from Ward 4, and his supporter Sudhir Sharma, were injured in a late night clash between the Akalis and the Congressmen at Kotkapura Road, on the outskirts of Muktsar.
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Ludhiana: Turnout till 2 pm
Payal: 60.16 pc
Doraha: 57.4 pc
Samrala: 51.42 pc
Jagraon: 51.29 pc
Sahnewal: 50 pc
Mullanpur: 49.71 pc
Khanna: 48.39 pc
Ropar: Turnout till 2 pm
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Nangal: 55 pc
Morinda: 47.98 pc
Anandpur Sahib: 57 pc
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Kiratpur Sahib: 75.79 pc
Total polling: 55.96 pc
Patiala: Turnout till 2 pm
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Patran: 59.90 pc
Rajpura: 50.47 pc
Mohali: Turnout till 2 pm
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Zirakpur: 40 pc
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Mohali (ward 1 to 25): 39 pc
Mohali (ward 26 to 50): 44 pc
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Amritsar: Turnout till 2 pm
Ramdass: 71 pc
Majitha: 56 pc
Jandiala: 58 pc
Ajnala: 55 pc
Rayya: 51 pc
MC ward no. 37: 42 pc
Average: 55.5 pc
Minor skirmishes reported in Tarn Taran, and in Guru Harsahai in Batala. Minor clash between Congress workers and the AAP workers in ward no. 7 reported. There are a tight security arrangements in both towns.
Bathinda: 48.42 pc (till 12 noon)
Polling moving smoothly so far.
Of the 1,129 total votes, 517 have cast their vote at SSD Boys School. At the DAV College polling station, approximately 35 per cent people have cast their vote.
Kiratpur Sahib: 56.66 pc (till 12 noon)
Nangal: 31 pc (till 12 noon)
Moga: Alleged bogus voting reported in ward number 1
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Moga voter turnout till 12 noon
Kot Ise Khan: 50.08 pc
Badhni Kalan: 57.7 pc
Nihal Singh Wala: 50.21 pc (till 12 noon)
Barnala: Turnout till 12 noon
Barnala: 36.63 pc
Tapa: 43.54 pc
Dhanaula: 43.57 pc
Bhadaur: 47 pc
Amritsar: Kisan Sangrash Committee is keeping a check in all 12 polling booths of Municipal Corporation ward number 37 so that BJP does not set up a help desk outside the booths.A large number of farmers from nearby villages, led by Sonu Mahal of the committee, checked all booths and raised anti-BJP slogans.
Yadu received six stitches and was admitted to the local civil hospital.
Congress leader and former MLA Muktsar Karan Kaur Brar has blamed Akalis for the violence, and has raised questions on the functioning of the police in the town.
Also read: Polling booth scrapped in Moga, polling staff asked to report back
Polling under way for civic body elections in Punjab
Karan Kaur Brar said: “In our government, the Akalis are assaulting the Congressmen. It is a complete failure of duty on the of part of the SSP and the district police.”
Meanwhile, the police took an SAD candidate and his son into custody over the allegations of kidnapping a Congressman.
On this, SAD’s Muktsar district president-cum-local MLA Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi said: “Yadu has been beaten up by police and not by any SAD worker. The police have also arrested Chand Batra — our candidate from Ward-18 Tek — and his son over false allegations of kidnapping. We are winning the election in a majority of wards and wanted a peaceful election.”
Gidderbaha Congress MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring visited the injured Congressmen at a private hospital here. He said: “It is shameful that Congressmen are being assaulted in the constituency where the party is in power. I ask Sukhbir Badal to come here and see for himself that who is indulged in violence — his men or the Congress party workers.”
Meanwhile, an EVM developed some snag at polling booth-56 and the polling started around 9.30 am.
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