Leaders show the way: Sidhu, Mann, Jakhar, Pargat cast vote in Punjab polls

Polling off to a slow start in Punjab with 4.8% average turnout in first hour, peaceful voting underway amid tight security

Leaders across party lines, including Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, Aam Aadmi Party chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann, state BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, state ministers Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Manpreet Singh Badal, Pargat Singh, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Vijay Inder Singla, and former state Congress chiefs Sunil Jakhar and Partap Singh Bajwa, exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling during the Punjab assembly elections on Sunday morning.

AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann shows his inked finger after casting his vote for Punjab Assembly polls, in Mohali, Sunday. (Twitter / @BhagwantMann)

The Election Commission said an average voter turnout of 4.8% was recorded in the first hour of polling. Voting for 117 assembly seats in the state is underway amid tight security.

Polling started at 8am and will continue till 6pm. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.

A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray for the high-stakes electoral contest.

Punjab education minister and Congress leader Pargat Singh after casting his vote in Jalandhar on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Amritsar recorded a voter turnout of 4.14% till 9am, Barnala 6.7%, Fatehgarh Sahib 6.94%, Fazilka 6.61%, Malerkotla 8.01% and Muktsar 6.21%. With a turnout of 2.18 % till 9.40am, polling in three assembly constituencies of Mohali district was off to a slow start. Dera Bassi recorded 3.2% polling, Mohali 2.5 % and Kharar 8% voting. AAP candidate from Mohali, Kulwant Singh, and his family members cast their vote in Mohali.

Migrant-dominated Amloh in the industrial belt of Mandi Gobindgarh constituency saw a higher voter turnout of 12% in the first hour of polling.

Queues of voters could be seen at the polling stations in the morning. Many youngsters were exercising their franchise for the first time.

Bhagwant Mann exercised his franchise in Mohali and appealed to people to come out in large numbers to cast their votes.

Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar after casting his vote on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Congress leader Sunil Jakhar was seen standing in a queue to cast his vote at a polling station in Abohar.

People were given masks, gloves and their hands were sanitised at the polling booths.

In the morning, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi paid obeisance at religious places in his home constituency of Chamkaur Sahib.

Moga Congress candidate Malvika Sood Sachar with her husband after voting on Sunday. (HT Photo)

There are 2.14 crore voters, including 1.02 crore women.

Punjab chief electoral officer S Karuna Raju said there are 24,740 polling stations, of which 2,013 have been identified as critical and 2,952 as vulnerable.

The state is witnessing a multi-cornered contest among the Congress, AAP, SAD-BSP, BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), a political front of various farmer bodies.

Prominent faces in the fray include chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, AAP’s Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, former CMs Capt Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal, and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma and former Union minister Vijay Sampla are also in the contest.

A total of 700 companies of central armed police force besides state police personnel have been deployed for the peaceful conduct of the polls.

There are 196 pink polling stations for women, while 70 polling stations are being managed by persons with disabilities (PwD).