Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab recorded an estimated 61.5 per cent voter turnout by 5 pm during municipal elections held across the state on Tuesday. The high-stakes polling was marked by sporadic incidents of violence, localized clashes, and widespread allegations of voter intimidation in several districts. Political analysts view these local elections as a critical litmus test for major parties ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls. Voting was conducted to elect representatives across eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 20 nagar panchayats.
To maintain law and order, the Punjab State Election Commission deployed approximately 32,000 police personnel and nearly 35,000 election staff throughout the state. Despite these extensive security arrangements, highly tense situations emerged from Raikot in Ludhiana district, Samana in Patiala, and various parts of Moga, where rival political factions allegedly clashed near polling stations during voting hours.
The most severe disruptions occurred in Ward No. 19 of Samana in Patiala district, where reports of stone-pelting and alleged aerial firing triggered widespread panic among voters. Security forces intervened swiftly at multiple locations to contain the violence and restore order. Reports also indicated that police resorted to a lathi-charge at specific venues to disperse clashing mobs and prevent the complete disruption of the electoral process.
While eyewitnesses alleged targeted voter intimidation and overt attempts to influence the polling outcome, election officials maintained that the situation was successfully brought under control through the strategic deployment of additional security reinforcements. Despite these isolated disturbances, polling managed to proceed under heavy security cover across the majority of Punjab’s voting centres.
