Punjab Records 77% Voter Turnout In Gram Panchayat Elections

Punjab achieved a voter turnout of 77% in the recent gram panchayat elections, according to data released by State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri on Wednesday.

District Turnout Highlights

Mansa district reported the highest turnout at 83.27%, while Tarn Taran saw the lowest at 64.40%. Other notable turnout percentages include:

– Amritsar: 68.12%
– Bathinda: 79.43%
– Barnala: 75.21%
– Fatehgarh Sahib: 78.47%
– Faridkot: 70.21%
– Ferozepur: 75.14%
– Fazilka: 82.31%
– Gurdaspur: 69%
– Hoshiarpur: 69.78%
– Jalandhar: 66.30%
– Kapurthala: 66.14%
– Ludhiana: 67.1%
– Malerkotla: 77.22%
– Moga: 69.91%
– Mohali: 76.93%
– Sri Muktsar Sahib: 78.27%
– SBS Nagar: 69.52%
– Patiala: 73.57%
– Pathankot: 79.20%
– Ropar: 77%
– Sangrur: 79.45%

Incidents and Casualties

The elections were overshadowed by two incidents of firing, resulting in four injuries in Tarn Taran and two in Patiala. Additionally, two government employees died due to health issues while on polling duty.

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Polling Details

Polling occurred from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for over 1.05 lakh candidates vying for the positions of panch and sarpanch, using ballot boxes. The State Election Commission canceled polling in Dalla and Pona villages in Ludhiana’s Jagraon sub-division due to technical problems.

Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court decided against staying the elections, emphasizing that doing so could lead to “chaos.” Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud stated, “If polling has started today, how can we intervene at this stage?”

Election Outcomes

A total of 3,798 candidates were elected unopposed for the position of sarpanch, while 48,861 were selected for panch positions. Elections were canceled in 28 gram panchayats, and one was halted, allowing voting in 9,398 panchayats.

In line with the Punjab Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2024, candidates were prohibited from using political party symbols. The state has approximately 1.33 crore registered voters, comprising 70.51 lakh men and 63.46 lakh women.