55% turnout in Jalandhar West bypoll, voting remains peaceful
Sharp decline in percentage as the segment saw 67.31% turnout in 2022; Hot, humid weather conditions stated to be reason behind low voting percentage
The voter turnout in the high-stakes Jalandhar West assembly byelection was approximately 55% on Wednesday, registering considerable a dip as compared to that of the 2022 assembly elections. The polling remained peaceful as not even a single incident of violence or rigging was reported in the segment, which was being dubbed as highly sensitive. Of the 181 polling stations, 51 were hypersensitive for which elaborate security arrangements had been made.
Till 1 pm, the turnout was 34.4% which rose to 51.3% by 5 pm. Late evening, the administration pegged the polling percentage at 55% (approximately) which is expected to be updated later by the Election Commission. The polling, which started at 7 am, came to an end at 6 pm. The hot and humid weather condition is said to have affected the voting percentage.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the Jalandhar West segment had recorded 67.31% voter turnout. It reduced to 64.45% in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
An estimated 1.71 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise. Fifteen candidates were in the fray. The result will be declared on July 13.
The byelection was necessitated after Sheetal Angural, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, resigned as an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
AAP candidate Mohinder Bhagat cast his franchise after taking the blessings of his father, veteran BJP leader Chunni Lal Bhagat. Congress candidate Surinder Kaur, BJP’s Angural, BSP nominee Binder Kumar Lakha and SAD’s Surjit Kaur cast their votes in their respective polling stations.
Congress’ Surinder Kaur slammed the AAP government and claimed that people were fed up with it and they would teach it a lesson in the bypoll. AAP candidate Mohinder Bhagat exuded confidence that people would ensure his party’s victory.
Though the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fielded Surjit Kaur, the Sukhbir Badal-led outfit later withdrew its support and disowned her. She was chosen as a candidate by a panel, two members of which rebelled against the party chief. The SAD had also announced its support to Bahujan Samaj Party nominee Binder Kumar for the bypoll. However, a section of SAD leaders, who revolted against Badal, is supporting Surjit Kaur in the bypoll
As many as 1,055 security personnel, including 700 Punjab police personnel and three companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), were deployed to ensure law and order.
AAP, Congress and BJP had set up their party booths near all the polling stations, while both BSP and SAD failed to mark their presence.
Deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal and commissioner of police Swapan Sharma toured the constituency to take stock of the process.
Outsiders manned AAP booths: Angural
BJP candidate Sheetal Angural, who claimed that there were reports of AAP workers from other parts of the state roaming in their vehicles, informed the district administration, seeking action over “violation” of the model code of conduct. People from other parts of state were seen manning AAP polling booths, he alleged.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring camped at the office of Jalandhar police commissioner Swapan Sharma. “There was no report of violence. I had asked Congress workers to report any kind of disturbance or rigging in their respective booths immediately so that the matter could be taken up with top police officials,” Warring said.
CM thanks Jalandhar people
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann took to X to thank the voters of the Jalandhar West constituency for fulfilling their responsibility by participating in the polling. Mann said the votes of Jalandhar West would contribute to the development of this constituency. Promising to change the face of the constituency, Mann said people had done their duty and it was the time for the government to serve the people.
Fate of the candidates, parties sealed
The Jalandhar West bypoll is said to be a litmus test for chief minister Bhagwant Mann, especially after the Lok Sabha election debacle in which AAP managed to win only three out of the 13 seats in Punjab. CM Mann led the whole campaign to retain the seat after Angural’s resignation.
The Congress, on the other hand, is looking for an icing on the cake after its candidate and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 1.75 lakh votes. However, Channi had managed to get a lead of only 1,557 votes in the Jalandhar West segment in the parliamentary poll.
For BJP’s Angural, a win here will justify his decision to snap ties with the AAP and join the saffron party before the parliamentary elections. Moreover, the BJP is eyeing to retain its old bastion from where its senior leader Chunni Lal Bhagat won the assembly elections thrice, in 1997, 2007 and 2012.
In the past five elections, the Congress has won the seat twice in 2002 and 2017, while the BJP bagged it in 2007 and 2012. The AAP secured a victory in 2022 in which its then candidate Angural got the better of Congress’ Rinku by 4,253 votes. (With PTI inputs)