Assembly Election 2022: Punjab done, 4 more phases left for Uttar Pradesh

Electronic Voting Machines being sealed after conclusion of Punjab Assembly elections at Jalandhar (Pic: ANI)

Another day of voting comes to an end. Sunday saw Punjab and third phase of Uttar Pradesh going to polls. Till 5 pm, Punjab saw an average voter turnout of 63.44 per cent, while in the same time, Uttar Pradesh, in its third phase of the Assembly elections, witnessed an average voter turnout of 57.43 per cent.

Punjab Polls 2022: Colourful day as Punjab casts its vote

In Punjab, the highest voter turnout was in the Mansa constituency with 73.45 per cent, followed by Malerkotla (72.84 per cent) and Sari Muktsar Sahib (72.01 per cent), according to the Election Commission of India. The average voter turnout was the lowest in Sahibjada Ajit Singh Nagar with 53.10 per cent.

The polling ended at 6 pm and the final voting figure is yet to be out. The voting had started at 8 am. A total of 700 companies of the central armed police force besides the state police personnel have been deployed for peaceful polling.

A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray. According to the Punjab chief electoral office, an average voter turnout of 63.44 per cent was recorded till 5 pm.

The day saw several interesting incidents. At a polling booth in Amritsar, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia came face to face and exchanged brief pleasantries. Both leaders are contesting against each other from Amritsar East. AAP's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann met his mother at his native place. Amritsar-based famous conjoined twins Sohan Singh and Mohan Singh, fondly known as Sohna-Mohna, cast their separate votes. Sohna-Mohna had recently been handed over two separate electoral photo identity cards by Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju. Both had turned 18 last year and voted for the first time. The conjoined twins said they are extremely happy as both were able to exercise their voting rights.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission had restrained actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood from visiting polling booths in Moga following complaints that he was trying to influence voters. His vehicle has also been impounded by police, said officials. However, Sood, who has denied the charges, alleged that other candidates were trying to buy votes. Sood's sister Malvika Sood Sachar is a Congress candidate from Moga.

Dressed in her bridal wear, a young woman first went to cast her vote at a village in Zirakpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh, before performing marriage rituals. At the women-managed pink polling booths in the state, enthusiasm was seen among voters, especially those voting for the first time. There are 196 pink polling stations for women while 70 polling stations are being managed by persons with disabilities (PwD).

AAP's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann exercised his franchise in Mohali. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal also cast their votes. Sukhbir Badal himself drove a vehicle and brought the family to cast their votes in Muktsar. AAP leader Raghav Chadha in his tweets alleged that at a polling booth in Guruharsahai, a sarpanch tried to influence voters. He claimed that some EVMs malfunctioned at Sanaour, Attari and Majitha.

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal appealed to voters to exercise their right to franchise. In the morning, Charanjit Singh Channi paid obeisance at religious places at his home constituency Chamkaur Sahib. He claimed that Congress will get two-thirds majority in the polls.

UP Polls 2022: Third phase ends as leaders exchange barbs

In the third phase of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Lalitpur recorded 67.37 per cent of voter turnout, followed by Etah (63.55 per cent) and Mohaba (62.01 per cent).The lowest voter turnout till 5 pm was 50.88 per cent in Uttar Pradesh`s Kanpur Nagar. Polling in 59 constituencies for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections is underway. In the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh polls, 59 assembly seats across 16 districts are going to the polls on Sunday. As many as 627 candidates are in the fray. 

Among the key constituencies where polling took place today, there was Karhal from where former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav contested his maiden Assembly election. Akhilesh's uncle and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) supremo Shivpal Singh Yadav contested from Jaswantnagar seat. Subsequent phases are taking place on February 23, 27, and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will be done on March 10.

While the third phase of polls took place, leaders traded barbs with Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath and Shivraj Singh Chouhan coming down heavily on Akhilesh. Chouhan even likened Akhilesh to Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.