Punjab bypolls: Over 36% polling recorded till 1 pm

Chandigarh: A voter turnout of over 36 percent was recorded till 1 pm on Wednesday in the bypolls to four assembly segments in Punjab where clashes were reported between AAP and Congress workers in Dera Baba Nanak segment.

Officials said Gidderbaha seat recorded 50.09 percent polling, Dera Baba Nanak 39.4 percent, Barnala 28.1 percent and Chabbewal 27.95 percent.

At Dera Pathana village in Dera Baba Nanak segment, a clash broke out between the AAP and Congress supporters Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who is the husband of Congress nominee Jatinder Kaur, alleged that some "outsiders" at the behest of the AAP thrashed his party worker in the village and also accused the police of not taking action.

However, AAP nominee Gurdeep Singh Randhawa rejected Randhawa's allegations as baseless.

Workers of both the warring factions engaged in heated arguments. A heavy police force was deputed at the site to defuse the situation.

Bypolls to the Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala assembly segments were necessitated after the incumbent lawmakers were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Among those who cast their votes included Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, BJP candidate from Barnala seat Kewal Singh Dhillon, BJP nominee from Chabbewal Sohan Singh Thandal, Congress candidate from Dera Baba Nanak Jatinder Kaur and her husband and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Congress nominee from Barnala seat Kuldeep Singh Dhillon.

Speaking to reporters in Barnala, Hayer exuded confidence that the voters of Barnala assembly segment will vote for the AAP and claimed that the Punjab government carried out many development works in Barnala in the past two-and-a-half years.

Congress nominee Jatinder Kaur exuded confidence that she will register victory in the bypoll.

Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Randhawa also said that people will vote for his wife in the bypoll.

In Gidderbaha, Congress nominee Amrita Warring offered prayers at a gurudwara and later met AAP candidate Hardeep Dhillon who had also come to pay obeisance at the gurdwara.

Amrita said people of Gidderbaha will support her candidature in the bypoll.

BJP's Manpreet Singh Badal was visiting the constituency and met party workers at the party's booths near polling stations.

AAP nominee Ishank Chabbewal expressed hope that voters will give him a chance to serve them.

Among the key contestants in the fray are former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (BJP), Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (AAP).

Amrita is the wife of the Congress' Punjab chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has opted to stay away from the bypolls. The party took the decision not to participate in the bypolls after Sukhbir Singh Badal, who has now resigned as the SAD president, failed to get any temporary relief from the Akal Takht, which declared him 'tankhaiya' (person guilty of religious misconduct), for the "mistakes" committed by his party and government from 2007 to 2017.

The AAP currently has 91 MLAs in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, while the Congress has 15, Shiromani Akali Dal three, BJP two, and the Bahujan Samaj Party one. One seat is held by an Independent MLA.