M A I N   N E W S

76% voter turnout in Punjab
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

Policemen keep a watch on EVMs at a Mohali school on Wednesday.

Chandigarh, February 14
Voters in Punjab established several landmarks yesterday. According to the revised final data available with the Election Commission, it was a 76 per cent turnout, the highest ever in the state. Another amazing fact that has emerged is that more women than men cast their votes in 23 of the 115 constituencies, most of these being in the Doaba region.

After the polling yesterday the EC had come out with a figure of 71.9 per cent polling in Punjab. This was based on initial calculations done on telephonic inputs from the Deputy Commissioners, explained the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Sundaram Krishna. This figure had to be revised after all calculations were done for each and every booth across Punjab this morning, he added. The information has been conveyed to the EC in Delhi.

The previous highest turnout was 72 per cent in 1969 which was followed by 71 per cent polling in 1967. Actually, since 1969 this was the first time that more than 70 per cent votes were polled.

The highest voting was 89 per cent recorded at Sardulgarh in Mansa district where senior Akali leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Mr Ajit Singh Mofar of the Congress have locked horns. Interestingly, in the cotton-growing belt of the Malwa region the voting percentage was more than 80 in seven districts. In Mansa and Muktsar it was 85 per cent while it was 83 per cent in Faridkot and 81 per cent in Barnala. In these four districts all constituencies polled more than 80 per cent votes, a record in itself. Sangrur, Ferozepore and Bathinda polled 83 per cent, 81 per cent and 82 per cent, respectively. In Sangrur, except the urban constituency of Sangrur the other six constituencies polled more than 80 per cent votes.

Among the other constituencies with a high voter turnout was Dirbha (88 per cent). Lambi, Gidderbaha, Budhlada, Jalalabad, Talwandi Sabo, and Rampura Phul all recorded 87 per cent polling.

Amritsar West recorded the lowest turnout at 56 per cent.

According to the revised calculations 68 per cent of the voters cast their votes in Amritsar district. This was the lowest for any district. Tarn Taran and Hoshiarpur saw a 71 per cent turnout. For Gurdaspur, the figure was 77 per cent.

The figures for other districts are Nawanshahr 78 per cent, Kapurthala 77 per cent, Jalandhar 74 per cent, Ludhiana 72 per cent, Ropar 72 per cent, Mohali 74 per cent, Patiala 76 per cent, Fatehgarh Sahib 79 per cent and Moga 77 per cent.

A record of sorts was created with a high turnout of women. A total of 18 of these constituencies are in the Doaba region where most of the men have gone aboard. Or, were these women voting against price rise? In the Doaba region, Adampur, Kartarpur, Lohian, Nakodar, Nurmahal, Phillaur, Banga, Nawanshahr, Bholath, Kapurthala, Sultanpur, Garhshankar, Sham Churassi, Tanda, Gardhiwala, Dasuya, Mahilpur and Mukerian saw more women voters. And across the state the number of registered women voters was higher than that of men only in six constituencies. Elsewhere, at Kahnuwan, Qadian, Sri Hargobindpur, Dina Nagar and Nangal more women cast their votes.