Voting Begins for Five Municipal Corporations and 44 Councils in Punjab
Click to start listening
Chandigarh, Dec 21 (NationPress) As the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintains a lead over rival parties, voting has officially started on Saturday for Punjab's five municipal corporations, 44 municipal councils, and various nagar panchayats.
The polling is set to continue until 4 P.M., with ballot counting scheduled to begin at the polling booth immediately afterward.
The municipalities participating in the elections include Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara.
A total of 37.32 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes, comprising 19.55 lakh men and 17.76 lakh women.
In total, 3,336 candidates are competing from four major political parties: the AAP, Congress, BJP, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The Amritsar and Jalandhar municipal corporations each consist of 85 wards, Ludhiana has 95, Patiala has 60, and Phagwara has 50.
Polling is also taking place for 598 wards across municipal councils and nagar panchayats.
State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri has confirmed that all necessary preparations are in place, with increased security measures at 344 hypersensitive and 665 sensitive polling stations.
A total of 21,500 personnel, including police and Home Guard members, have been assigned to ensure a smooth voting process.
The Election Commission has permitted videography outside polling stations to be conducted by private individuals, including political party workers.
However, it is specified that no private individual may conduct videography activities inside polling stations.
According to the directive, videography by private entities and political party workers is permissible at their own cost, as long as it takes place beyond 100 metres of the polling stations.
This election will serve as a crucial test for the AAP, which aims to maintain its winning streak following victories in three out of four Assembly bypolls in November.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been actively campaigning for the party's candidates.
