Violence marred the Punjab municipal elections on Tuesday, leaving a Congress candidate seriously injured in Ludhiana’s Raikot and triggering stone-pelting between police and voters in Samana sub division of Patiala district.
Despite the tension, voting was underway across 103 municipal bodies with voters braving the heat to exercise their franchise, particularly in Ludhiana, Muktsar, and Faridkot districts by mid-afternoon.
In Ludhiana district the average turnout by 2pm was 44.09% with Payal leading at 59.32%, followed by Raikot at 49.11%, Samrala 48.94%, Doraha 47.97%, Jagraon 44.44%, and Khanna 40.43%.
In Muktsar district, Gidderbaha recorded 52.09% polling followed by Malout at 48.98% and Muktsar at 46.95%. In Faridkot district, Jaito recorded a turnout of 54.92% followed by Kotkapura at 42.66% and Faridkot at 39.37%.
The overall polling in Bathinda district stood at 47.53% , while Hoshiarpur district recorded 46.48% polling till 2pm.
Candidate hospitalised after Raikot clash
Tension gripped Raikot in Ludhiana district after a clash erupted between workers of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. Jagdev Singh Jagga, the Congress candidate from Ward Number 4, was assaulted with sharp-edged weapons, allegedly by supporters of AAP MLA Hakam Thekedar.
Party workers claimed the attackers fractured Jagga’s limbs, too. He was rushed to the Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital in Ludhiana as his condition worsened. The incident triggered panic at polling booths, with Congress leaders accusing rivals of trying to intimidate voters out of fear of electoral defeat.
{{/usCountry}}Party workers claimed the attackers fractured Jagga’s limbs, too. He was rushed to the Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital in Ludhiana as his condition worsened. The incident triggered panic at polling booths, with Congress leaders accusing rivals of trying to intimidate voters out of fear of electoral defeat.
{{/usCountry}}Lathi charge in Samana
Fresh violence was also reported from Samana in Patiala district. In Ward number 19, an altercation near a polling station escalated into stone-pelting between police personnel and voters. To regain control of the situation, police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
Several individuals sustained injuries, and polling was temporarily disrupted. This followed an earlier clash between rival party workers outside a polling booth in Samana’s Ward number 10.
Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the assault on Jagga, calling it an “attack on democracy.” “It exposes the complete collapse of law and order under the Bhagwant Mann government. Gangsters and political goons are roaming freely while the government is busy with ads and reels. If election candidates are unsafe, imagine the condition of common people in Punjab,” Warring stated on X, demanding immediate arrests.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia flagged administrative lapses, alleging that a lack of wheelchairs at polling stations left differently-abled and elderly voters facing inconvenience.
Litmus test ahead of assembly polls
The local body elections are being contested by all major players—AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD—as they are seen as a litmus test ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting across 1,896 wards, which span eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala, and Pathankot, 75 municipal councils, and 20 nagar panchayats.
The AAP has fielded the highest number of candidates (1,801), followed by the Congress (1,550), BJP (1,316), SAD (1,251), and BSP (96). There are also 1,528 Independent candidates in the fray.
Of the total polling booths, 740 have been declared sensitive and 275 hyper-sensitive. Around 35,000 election personnel and 32,000 police personnel have been deployed to maintain order.
Early turnout, bullock cart protest
Polling began at 8am using ballot papers and will conclude at 5pm, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 29.
Long queues of elderly voters and women were seen in the morning hours as citizens attempted to beat the scorching heat.
Prominent early voters included Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma, who cast his vote in Pathankot, and AAP MLA Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi in Batala. Cabinet ministers Aman Arora and Harjot Singh Bains also exercised their franchise early, urging high public participation.
In a symbolic protest against inflation, Warring and his wife Amrita arrived at a polling station in Muktsar on a bullock cart, stating they wanted to send a message to the Union government regarding frequent fuel price hikes.
The Punjab government has declared a state-wide public holiday on Tuesday to facilitate voting for the 35.45 lakh registered voters. (With inputs by Vishal Joshi in Bathinda and Harpreet Kaur in Hoshiarpur )