Chandigarh, May 26
Polling for elections to 103 municipal bodies across Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 31.60 percent till 12 noon on Tuesday, according to the officials. Voting began at 8 am through ballot papers and will continue till 5 pm, while counting of votes will be held on May 29.
The elections are being conducted for eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 20 Nagar Panchayats across the state. Polling is underway in 1,896 wards, including 396 municipal corporation wards in Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala, and Pathankot.
A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting the civic polls. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has fielded 1,801 candidates, followed by 1,550 from the Congress, 1,316 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 1,251 from the Shiromani Akali Dal, and 96 from the Bahujan Samaj Party. Besides them, 1,528 Independent candidates are also in the fray.
According to officials, more than 35 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections, including over 17 lakh women voters. Around 35,000 election personnel and 32,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth and peaceful polling. Authorities have also identified 740 polling booths as sensitive and 275 as hyper-sensitive.
Despite heatwave conditions in several parts of the state, voters, especially women and elderly citizens, were seen standing in queues outside polling stations since morning.
Several senior political leaders cast their votes during the day and appealed to citizens to participate in the democratic process. Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma voted in Pathankot and urged people to strengthen democracy through active participation. Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi cast his vote in Batala, while Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring arrived at a polling booth in Muktsar on a bullock cart along with his wife, Amrita Warring, highlighting concerns over rising fuel prices.
Punjab Cabinet ministers Aman Arora and Harjot Singh Bains also appealed to voters to exercise their franchise. Meanwhile, Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that several polling stations lacked wheelchair facilities for differently abled voters, causing inconvenience to those unable to walk independently.
Officials said elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure transparent and peaceful polling, with additional security deployed at sensitive locations. The Punjab government also declared a public holiday on May 26 to facilitate voting. The municipal elections are being closely watched as a significant political test ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
