Punjab: Municipal Corporation Polls Set To Witness Multi-Cornered Contest

Picture source: ANI

Chandigarh: An average of 10 per cent polling was witnessed till 9 am in the elections to five municipal corporations and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats underway in Punjab, officials said on Saturday. 

The polling began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and will continue till 4 pm, they added. 

There was an average of 10 per cent polling till 9 am, the officials said. 

Votes will be counted at the polling stations itself after the completion of polling, they said. 

The five municipal corporations where the elections are being held are Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara. 

More than 3,300 candidates are in the fray for the civic polls, the officials said, adding that a total of 3,809 polling booths have been set up. 

A total of 37.32 lakh voters, including 17.75 lakh females, are eligible to cast their votes in these elections. 

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used for polling. 

The civic polls will be a litmus test for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which would like its winning momentum to continue after securing victories in three of the four Assembly bypolls in November. 

These elections are important as they will reveal the popularity of the ruling party among urban voters. 

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held roadshows and campaigned for the AAP candidates in the run-up to the elections. 

It will also be the first test for Aman Arora after he was appointed as the AAP's Punjab unit chief. Arora took part in poll campaigning and made several promises to the voters. 

The stakes are also high for the Congress, which had a majority in the Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala municipal corporations. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are also contesting the municipal corporation polls.