Chandigarh: Amid sporadic violence that left a 16-year-old boy dead and around 10 injured, nearly 77 per cent of 1.76 crore voters on Monday exercised their franchise under tight security to elect 117 members to the Punjab Assembly.

The fate of 1,078 candidates, including two Chief Ministerial aspirants Parkash Singh Badal of the ruling SAD-BJP, and Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh was sealed in Electronic Voting Machines in today's exercise.

DIG Arpit Shukla told reporters here that teenager Nishan Singh died of gunshot wounds receieved in a clash between activists of the ruling SAD and the opposition Congress in Piareana village in Ferozepur Rural Assembly constituency.

Two other persons were injured in the incident, he said. The boy was said to be an Akali worker.

Reports of skirmishes between supporters of rival candidates were also received from Ludhiana, Bathinda, Amritsar Central, Abohar and some other districts.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Kusumjit Sidhu said the turnout was 77 per cent which might go up marginally as the final figures were yet to be tabulated.

In the 2007 assembly election, the turnout was 75.45 per cent and in '02 it was 65.14 per cent.

Other notable candidates whose fate was sealed in EVMs were Sukhbir Singh Badal (Jalalabad), Raninder Singh, son of Amardiner Singh, (Samana), former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Lehra), ex-top cop P S Gill (Moga) and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur (Bholath).

Badal is seeking a fifth-term from his traditional Lambi Assembly constituency and his predecessor Amarinder from from Patiala city.

The Akalis alleged the gunshot was fired by Congress candidate Satkar Kaur's husband but DIG (Ferozepur) Alok Nath said "our investigations are on".

Sidhu said nine FIRs were registered in connection with the clashes at various polling stations in Mohali, Khadoor Sahab, Amritsar, Ludhiana Central, Abohar, Ajnala and Bathinda.

In Ludhiana, BJP's District Yuva Morcha General Secretary Sanjay Kapoor was injured in a clash with Congress supporters.

At Bathinda, some miscreants pelted stones at the office of Dera Sacha Sauda sect on Amrik Singh road.

Police fired in air to disperse supporters of Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar and an Independent in Abohar.

BJP and Congress supporters also clashed at Amritsar Central.

A woman voter died in the polling station compound at Anandpur Sahab. Reports said she died of heart attack. The counting of votes will take place on March six.

Both the Congress and the SAD exhuded confidence of forming the government.

Amarinder Singh claimed there was a clear wave in his party's favour. "We are winning hands down. We will cross the 70-mark in the 117-member House."

After casting his vote, Parkash Singh Badal said the SAD-BJP combine would win comfortably on the basis of development in the state in the past five years.

"People know that this government has worked for their betterment and today a pro-incumbency wave is sweeping the state," the Chief Minister said.

His son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the people would reject the Congress which had no agenda for taking Punjab forward.

The People's Party of Punjab, led by former minister Manpreet Singh Badal, alleged tampering of some EVMs at Buddhlada.

The state Election Office denied this saying "some machines from the reserve stock were being adjusted and some PPP members thought that tampering was going on."

Some machines developed technical faults resulting in minor disruption of the polling process. These were replaced immediately.

Manpreet, whose party is also contesting the election, was the among the early voters in Badal village.

Seeking re-election for the fifth time from Gidderbaha constituency, he said winds of change were sweeping Punjab where people were looking for an alternative.

"We will this time break the political monopoly of the SAD and the Congress. People now have a choice and they will vote for the Sanja Morcha (Manpreet-led third front that includes Left parties)."

BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur, who is fighting as a BJP candidate from Amritsar East, cast their votes.

Senior Congress leader and Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari also cast his vote in Ludhiana.

Hoshiarpur district witnessed 72 per cent polling, Kapurthala over 65 per cent, Gurdaspur 73 per cent, Ferozepur more than 80 per cent, Fatehgarh Sahib 81 per cent, Amritsar 71 per cent and Sangrur nearly 83 per cent.

Some 30 residents of Bassi Pathana (Reserve) constituency in Fatehgarh Sahib district boycotted the polling alleging politicians were making false promises.

Manoj Banda, who was among those who did not vote, said the area was witnessing an exodus due to limited job opportunities.

Despite promises by politicians, no new projects had been unveiled in the constituency, he said.

The group claimed they did not exercise their franchise during the Lok Sabha election in 2009.

Haryana High Court's retired Judge Nirmal Singh is representing the SAD against Congress' Harbans Kaur Dullo, wife of Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee's former president Shamsher Singh Dullo, from the constituency.

PTI