Punjab civic polls witness clashes in Raikot, Khanna, Moga and Faridkot
Punjab Civic Polls: Voting is underway across Punjab for elections to eight municipal corporations, including Mohali, along with 75 municipal councils and 20 nagar panchayats. According to the State Election Commission, nearly 31.6 per cent polling was recorded till 12 noon on Tuesday.
Polling began at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm. Unlike Assembly or Lok Sabha Elections, voting in the civic polls is being conducted through ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). A total of 7,555 candidates are in the fray in the local body elections being held across the state.
Meanwhile, tension and clashes were reported from several parts of Punjab during the ongoing municipal council elections on Tuesday, with incidents of violence, heated arguments and allegations of bogus voting surfacing from different districts.
A major controversy erupted in Raikot after the Congress alleged that supporters of AAP MLA Hakam Singh Thekedaar attacked Congress candidate Jagdev Singh Jagga during polling. According to party leaders, Jagga, who is contesting from Ward Number 4, suffered serious injuries in the assault. He was initially taken to a local hospital but was later referred to Ludhiana’s DMC Hospital after his condition reportedly became critical.
Congress leaders termed the attack “life-threatening” and accused ruling party supporters of trying to intimidate opposition candidates during the elections.
In Khanna, a verbal clash broke out between supporters of the Congress and AAP soon after voting began in Ward Number 15.
The argument quickly escalated, leading to tension outside the polling station. Police personnel deployed at the spot intervened immediately and managed to control the situation before it turned violent.
Officials warned workers from both sides against disrupting the voting process and asked them to maintain peace near polling booths.
Another confrontation was reported from Moga’s Ward Number 41, where supporters of Congress and AAP got into an altercation during polling.
The dispute reportedly began over party workers standing near the polling booth and soon escalated into a tense situation. Police stepped in and removed supporters gathered around the booth area to prevent any untoward incident. Authorities increased security in the area following the clash.
A dramatic confrontation was also witnessed in Faridkot during the civic polls as AAP workers and BJP leaders engaged in a heated argument on the road.
AAP MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon accused local BJP leader Sunny Brar of violating the model code of conduct. Sekhon alleged that an Army school bus was being used to transport voters to polling booths, which he described as misuse of military-related resources for electoral gains.
A video of the incident has surfaced online showing both groups shouting slogans and arguing near the parked bus. The BJP leader, however, denied wrongdoing.
In Barnala, chaos broke out at a polling station in Ward Number 33 over allegations of fake voting. Supporters of AAP candidate Rita Goyal and independent candidate Urmila Devi confronted each other, accusing the rival camp of facilitating bogus votes.
As tensions escalated, heavy police deployment was made at the polling centre to maintain law and order. Security personnel later dispersed supporters gathered near the booth to ensure peaceful polling.
Despite isolated incidents of clashes and tension, voting continued under police supervision in the affected areas. Authorities said strict monitoring was being carried out to prevent disruption during the polls.
Tension briefly escalated during polling in Ward Number 31 of Abohar after a youth allegedly attempted to cast a fake vote inside the polling booth.
According to local sources, the youth was stopped by Sachin Sethi, husband of AAP candidate Simran Sethi, who objected to him entering the polling centre. This led to a scuffle between the two inside the premises. The youth was reportedly identified as a resident of Khubban village.
- PTC NEWS
