70 per cent turnout in Punjab panchayat polls

Amid sporadic violence, nearly 70 per cent of 1.1 crore rural voters Sunday exercised their franchise for Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections in Punjab.

An estimated 70 per cent polling was reported as per initial reports, State Election Commissioner S S Brar said.

The elections were by and large peaceful and no major incident of violence was reported from any part of the state, he said.

However, skirmishes between rival supporters took place in Mansa village in Muktsar and in certain pockets of Moga and Ferozepur districts.

Barring these stray incidents, polling was generally peaceful across rural Punjab, Brar said.

Polling was conutermanded at six booths in Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga and Muktsar and re-voting would take place on Monday.

The polling was held to elect 331 members of 22 Zila Parishads and 2,902 of 146 Panchayat Samitis.

The counting of votes will take place on May 21.

Security force personnel were deployed in strength to ensure smooth, free and fair elections.

In the run-up to the elections, two persons were killed in clashes between SAD and Congress activists at Lopoke in Amritsar.

Two more persons, including a Congressman, were killed in violence at Patti and Bathinda ahead of polling.

Photograph: Reuters