Counting of more than 22 lakh votes is underway in Punjab
Voters across 102 municipalities, including Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats sealed the fate of nearly 7500 candidates on May 26
Two micro-observers have been deployed at each counting centre along with the general observer.
Counting of more than 22 lakh votes is underway in Punjab where voters across 102 municipalities, including Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats sealed the fate of nearly 7500 candidates on May 26.
Initial reports from the state give an edge to the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party with Congress placed at a distant second place.
These elections gain importance in the light of upcoming assembly elections in the state to be held next year.
At the time of filing, PTC reports that of more than 630 wins or leads recorded in the wards, 304 favour the AAP while the numbers for Congress and SAD were 93 and 74 respectively.
The incumbents have notably made a mark in SAD’s bastion with five wins in Bathinda Municipal Corporation. Reports say AAP is also leading in Ludhiana, Mohali and Pathankot.
The Congress, as per PTC, is leading in Kapurthala and Tanda Urmur in Hoshiarpur district while a close contest is underway in the Bhawanigarh Municipal Council with AAP and Congress leading on 7 seats each.
Votes were cast on May 26 using ballot papers.
According to media reports, two micro-observers have been deployed at each counting centre along with the general observer.
The civic elections spanned around 1,897 wards and 3,833 polling booths across eight municipal corporations and 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats. The voter turnout was 63.94 per cent as per poll officials. The turnout was 59.91 per cent for municipal corporations, while for municipal councils and nagar panchayats, polling percentages were 65.06 and 76.18 respectively.
Also, 80 candidates were elected unopposed with AAP leading with 63 unopposed wins followed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with 9, Independents with 7 and Congress with 1 such win.
With the assembly election coming next year, these civic polls gained significance for all political players. In the previous polls, held in the midst of pandemic in 2021, the incumbent Congress won all eight municipal corporations with majority in 77 of the 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Punjab.
This is a developing story with numbers subject to change as per leads from the counting centres.
