The voting for by-elections to Punjab’s Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala Assembly segments started at 7 am on Monday with tight security. The bypolls have been necessitated due to the fact that MLAs representing these seats had got elected to the Lok Sabha. Prominent candidates for the by-elections include former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal (BJP), Amrita Warring (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon (AAP). AAP, which currently has 91 MLAs in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, seeks to consolidate its position, whereas Congress and BJP seek to bag a few very important wins. The minor snagging of the initial polling was due to the technical faults in one booth in Gidderbaha. By 9 am, the voter turnout was at 8.53% with Gidderbaha leading at 13.1%. Turnout increased to 20.76% by 11 am. Gidderbaha still at 35%, Dera Baba Nanak at 19.4%, Barnala at 16.1%, and Chabbewal at 12.71%. By 1 pm, overall turnout reached 36.46%, with Gidderbaha maintaining the highest participation at 50.09%.
Dera Baba Nanak witnessed clashes between Congress and AAP workers, with Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa appealing for peaceful polling as there was an attempt to capture booths. AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon cast his vote in Gidderbaha. Another notable voter was Amrita Warring, the wife of PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who had made her electoral debut. Shiromani Akali Dal did not contest these by-elections.
Altogether, 6.96 lakh voters will have the last say in the electoral fortune of 45 candidates, who are contesting from polling stations across 831. Vote counting will be held on November 23.
