Political workers clash at several places during Punjab local body elections
Clashes involving supporters of major political parties and allegations of booth capturing were reported from several places during Punjab civic polls. Polling witnessed sporadic violence, injuries and police intervention, while political leaders traded charges over law and order ahead of the 2027 assembly elections
Chandigarh: Clashes involving supporters of the Congress, AAP, BJP and SAD, along with allegations of booth capturing, were reported at several places in Punjab during the civic elections on Tuesday.
The state recorded a voter turnout of 45.60 per cent till 2 pm in the local body elections, seen as the semi-final before the assembly elections next year.
Congress candidate from Ward number 4 in Raikot, Jagdev Singh Jagga, was injured in an attack with sharp-edged weapons by a group of people. He was admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana, officials said.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the incident and targeted the AAP government over the law and order situation in the state.
“The brutal attack on Congress candidate Jagdev Singh Jagga in Raikot exposes the complete collapse of law and order under the Bhagwant Mann government.
“Gangsters and political goons are roaming freely while the government is busy with ads and reels. If election candidates are unsafe, imagine the condition of common people in Punjab,” Warring said on X.
In Barnala, the husband of BJP candidate from Ward number 15, Deepinder Kaur, was assaulted by a group of people following heated exchanges after he made allegations of bogus voting. His turban was removed and he suffered injuries, after which he was taken to a hospital.
A clash erupted between the supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gidderabaha in Muktsar district during polling in Ward numbers 18 and 19, officials said.
The SAD later lodged a complaint with the Punjab State Election Commission against AAP MLA Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and others, accusing them of indulging in booth capturing, assault and intimidation.
Tension prevailed in Samana in Patiala district where a group of people indulged in stone-pelting at police personnel following an altercation. The police resorted to cane-charge to disperse the crowd and polling was temporarily stalled, officials said.
In Amritsar’s Majitha, supporters of the SAD and AAP clashed, prompting police to intervene, they said.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked the Mann government over the incident and said, “Majitha is witnessing open hooliganism, intimidation and complete lawlessness because the police seem more interested in protecting Bhagwant Mann’s political chair than safeguarding the rights of ordinary people.”
In Mour Mandi, supporters of the BJP and AAP were involved in heated exchanges.
Polling through ballot papers began at 8 am. The counting of votes will take place on May 29.
Elections were held on Tuesday in 1,896 wards across eight municipal corporations — Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot — besides 75 municipal councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats, officials said.
A total of 7,555 candidates are in the fray. The ruling party AAP has fielded the highest number of candidates at 1,801, followed by 1,550 from the Congress, 1,316 from the BJP, 1,251 from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and 96 from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Besides, there are 1,528 Independent candidates contesting the polls.
Voters, particularly elderly people and women, were seen queuing up at polling booths in the morning to avoid the scorching heat during the day.
Among the early voters, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma cast his vote at a polling booth in Pathankot.
Punjab Congress chief Warring, along with his wife Amrita Warring, reached a polling station in Muktsar on a bullock cart. He said he wanted to give a message to the Union government that ordinary citizens are “suffering” because of frequent fuel price hikes.
Punjab Minister Aman Arora, along with his wife, cast his vote at a polling booth in Sunam.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Majithia alleged that there was no arrangement of wheelchairs for differently abled voters at polling stations. He claimed that voters who were unable to walk independently were facing inconvenience.
There are 35,45,567 registered voters for these municipal bodies, which include 17,11,635 women and 220 others.
A total of 740 polling booths were declared sensitive and 275 hyper-sensitive.
Around 35,000 election personnel and 32,000 police personnel were deployed on election duty.
Officials said elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure smooth, peaceful and transparent polling.
The Punjab government had declared a holiday in the state on May 26 to facilitate voting.
The local body elections are being seen as crucial for all major political parties — AAP, BJP, Congress and SAD — as these are taking place ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly polls.
The civic polls are seen as a litmus test for the ruling AAP, which is hoping to retain power in the state.