Ludhiana: Punjab’s hosiery hub remained a tight-knit democratic fabric despite weaving through tangles of allegations. The Ludhiana West assembly byelection recorded a low voter turnout of 51.3% on Thursday and largely peaceful polling amid a few charges of impersonation and voting glitches. This slow, stop-start innings of a boring fifty came in what was sold as a warm-up match before the 2027 final.The death of Aam Aadmi Party legislator Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in Jan necessitated this contest. The key contenders vying for the seat include AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress, BJP’s Jeewan Gupta, and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman.Voting had a sluggish start at 7 am — just 8.5% turnout was reported by 9 am, but activity picked up steadily, rising to 21.5% by 11 am. Thursday’s turnout touched 33.42% by 1 pm before dipping slightly in the afternoon hours. By 5 pm, turnout stood at 49.07%. District election officer Himanshu Jain, who inspected multiple polling stations, said the peaceful voting reflected the civic spirit of Punjab’s citizens. General observer Rajeev Kumar visited over 45 booths and confirmed that polling was on without incident.Doubt cast, vote notHowever, not all experiences were smooth. Rakesh Mehra, a senior voter from Gurdev Nagar, alleged that someone had cast his vote by the time he had arrived at booth number 112 in Sarabha Nagar. He declined an offer from the polling staff to vote again, insisting that the impersonator first be identified. A woman at Malwa School in Kochar Market also expressed distress over issues with her voting process. Meanwhile, reporters visiting select booths noted a mix of orderliness and innovation.Green sweepAt the Green Booth in Punjab Agricultural University, vases with plants greeted voters at the reception, and mobile phone storage was arranged to maintain decorum. An e-rickshaw service ferried elderly and the voters living with disability. Driver Shammi Jain said he had assisted 20-25 voters during the day.Lady luckAt the women-managed booth at Lodhi Club, all five members of the staff, including a police officer, were women. A breastfeeding facility was also set up. Block level officer (BLO) Kulbir Kaur said the arrangement aimed to make polling more inclusive. Voter Daman Gupta from Rajguru Nagar praised the effort.Call-drop counterElsewhere, Anganwadi workers were seen helping collect voters’ mobile phones and store those safely before they entered the booths. Voter Rani, 45, lauded the efficient system. “I didn’t have to wait long,” she said. “I voted in the hope that my two sons working on temporary jobs at PAU (Punjab Agricultural University) will get permanent positions.”Manhandling allegedAt Jawaddi Kalan in the final hours of voting, members of two parties were involved in alleged manhandling incident. Reports suggest that one side alleged that rival party’s workers were getting fake votes cast at a polling booth in a school of the area. Local sources said police had reached the spot and pacified both groups. MSID:: 121955972 413 | Ludhiana: Punjab’s hosiery hub remained a tight-knit democratic fabric despite weaving through tangles of allegations. The Ludhiana West assembly byelection recorded a low voter turnout of 51.3% on Thursday and largely peaceful polling amid a few charges of impersonation and voting glitches. This slow, stop-start innings of a boring fifty came in what was sold as a warm-up match before the 2027 final.The death of Aam Aadmi Party legislator Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in Jan necessitated this contest. The key contenders vying for the seat include AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress, BJP’s Jeewan Gupta, and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman.Voting had a sluggish start at 7 am — just 8.5% turnout was reported by 9 am, but activity picked up steadily, rising to 21.5% by 11 am. Thursday’s turnout touched 33.42% by 1 pm before dipping slightly in the afternoon hours. By 5 pm, turnout stood at 49.07%. District election officer Himanshu Jain, who inspected multiple polling stations, said the peaceful voting reflected the civic spirit of Punjab’s citizens. General observer Rajeev Kumar visited over 45 booths and confirmed that polling was on without incident.Doubt cast, vote notHowever, not all experiences were smooth. Rakesh Mehra, a senior voter from Gurdev Nagar, alleged that someone had cast his vote by the time he had arrived at booth number 112 in Sarabha Nagar. He declined an offer from the polling staff to vote again, insisting that the impersonator first be identified. A woman at Malwa School in Kochar Market also expressed distress over issues with her voting process. Meanwhile, reporters visiting select booths noted a mix of orderliness and innovation.Green sweepAt the Green Booth in Punjab Agricultural University, vases with plants greeted voters at the reception, and mobile phone storage was arranged to maintain decorum. An e-rickshaw service ferried elderly and the voters living with disability. Driver Shammi Jain said he had assisted 20-25 voters during the day.Lady luckAt the women-managed booth at Lodhi Club, all five members of the staff, including a police officer, were women. A breastfeeding facility was also set up. Block level officer (BLO) Kulbir Kaur said the arrangement aimed to make polling more inclusive. Voter Daman Gupta from Rajguru Nagar praised the effort.Call-drop counterElsewhere, Anganwadi workers were seen helping collect voters’ mobile phones and store those safely before they entered the booths. Voter Rani, 45, lauded the efficient system. “I didn’t have to wait long,” she said. “I voted in the hope that my two sons working on temporary jobs at PAU (Punjab Agricultural University) will get permanent positions.”MSID:: 121955972 413 |
