E-Paper
61% turnout in Tarn Taran bypoll, polling peaceful
Tarn Taran by-election saw a voter turnout of 60.95%, lower than previous years. Counting is set for November 14 amid tight security and technical issues.
A voter turnout of 60.95% was witnessed during the polling for the Tarn Taran assembly by-election on Tuesday. Polling concluded at 6 pm, and the turnout figure may increase after collating final data from all the booths, the poll panel said. The turnout is nearly 5% less than the polling recorded in the 2022 assembly elections. The vote counting is scheduled for November 14.
The polling percentage was nearly 71% in 2017 when Congress’ Dr Dharambir Agnihotri won the Sikh dominated seat. AAP’s Kashmir Singh Sohal, whose death in June necessitated the bypoll, won in 2022 with a turnout of nearly 66%.
Punjab chief electoral officer Sibin C said that approximately 60.95% voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm.
“The precise figures will be updated by Wednesday once all polling parties return to the collection centres and final data entry is completed, he said while thanking the voters of Tarn Taran assembly constituency for exercising their democratic right in the bypoll.
Polling began at 7am and continued till 6pm amid tight security. After a slow start with just 11% voting in the first two hours (7 am to 9 am), the polling picked up as the day went by. Despite the early morning chill, many voters, particularly elderly individuals and women, made their way to polling stations. There were long queues outside several polling stations early in the day.
Among the early voters were Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj and AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Sukwinder Kaur Randhawa visited a polling station in Kaka Kandiala village to cast her vote, accompanied by her daughter Kanchanpreet Kaur.
Polling was halted for about an hour at a booth in Mianpur village due to a malfunction in the voting machine. However, voting resumed normally once a replacement machine arrived, according to the information.
In the Village Manakpur, polling was also delayed by about three hours due to a technical issue with the voting machine. SDM Gurmeet Singh, who reached the spot, said that the delay occurred due to a technical fault in the machines.
There are 15 candidates in all, with five being seen as strong contenders, thus setting the stage for a multi-cornered fight on this panthic seat.
The bypoll is being seen as a litmus test for the chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in the state. AAP has campaigned aggressively to retain this seat.
The bypoll is being seen as a crucial fight before the 2027 Punjab assembly elections and will also throw light on the popularity of the AAP regime’s policies and programmes among voters in the border constituency.
In the 117-member Punjab assembly, the AAP has 93 MLAs, Congress 16, SAD three, BJP two, and the Bahujan Samaj Party one. One seat is held by an Independent.
In the multi-cornered contest, former MLA Harmeet Singh Sandhu is contesting on the ruling AAP’s ticket, while Karanbir Singh Burj is in the fray from the Congress. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded retired school principal Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa. Independent candidate Mandeep Singh is contesting the bypoll with the support of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh-led party Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar), SAD’s breakaway faction, and other Sikh groups. The Tarn Taran assembly seat is part of the Khadoor Sahib constituency. Harjit Singh Sandhu is the candidate of the BJP.
A video circulating widely on social media purportedly shows newly appointed Tarn Taran SSP Surendra Lamba objecting to Kanchanpreet Kaur, daughter of SAD candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, violating poll norms. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the clip. In the video, Lamba is heard warning Kanchanpreet against violating election norms and “playing the victim card,” and cautioning her of action for any breach. ( Can have quotes from both parties--SSP, SAD CAMP)
Meanwhile, Randhawa lodged a written complaint with the district returning officer and the general election observer, alleging that the police, under the influence of the ruling party, were harassing Akali workers at the polling stations. In her complaint, which is unrelated to the above incident, she demanded that the police’s high-handedness and hooliganism be stopped immediately and that legal action be taken against the officers involved in harassing Akali workers. She also demanded that disciplinary and legal action be taken against police officials violating the Election Commission’s code by intimidating Akali Dal workers.
The number of eligible voters is 1,92,838 -- 1,00,933 male, 91,897 female, and eight third-gender -- in the constituency.
A total of 222 polling stations have been set up at 114 locations, of which 60 are urban and 162 are rural, including four ‘model’ and three ‘pink’ polling booths, officials said. Officials said 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed in the assembly constituency, and it is one of the largest deployments of CAPF ever by the EC in any bypoll
