54.7% exercise right to franchise in Ropar rural bodies elections

Polling for the 10 zila parishad zones and panchayat samitis in Ropar district concluded peacefully on Saturday, but the exercise was marked by a low voter turnout across the district.

According to official estimates, polling in Ropar district remained at around 54.7 per cent. The lowest turnout was recorded at Nangal bloc at 48 per cent, Morinda bloc at just 51.4 per cent, followed by Chamkaur Sahib at 54.28 per cent, Anandpur Sahib 54.7 per cent, Ropar 54.39 per cent and Nurpur Bedi 56.92 per cent.

The turnout was particularly low during the early hours, with only about eight per cent of voters casting their ballots till 10 am. Though the pace of voting improved gradually in the afternoon, it failed to pick up substantially, resulting in an overall muted participation by voters.

No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district and polling was conducted in a calm atmosphere under tight security arrangements.

Election officials said the process remained smooth throughout the day, with polling personnel deployed adequately at all booths to ensure free and fair elections.

The low turnout, however, triggered sharp political reactions from major parties. The Congress described the subdued participation as a clear indication of public discontent against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state.

Ashwani Sharma, district president of the Congress, alleged that people deliberately stayed away from polling booths as they were unhappy with the functioning of the present government. He claimed that the low voter turnout reflected growing resentment among the electorate.

Echoing similar views, former Speaker of the Punjab Assembly KP Rana accused the state government of misusing its authority during the election process. He alleged that attempts were made to intimidate voters, which, according to him, discouraged people from exercising their franchise. Rana maintained that the low polling percentage should be seen as a mandate against the government.

The ruling AAP, however, dismissed the allegations as “baseless”. Party leaders claimed that the peaceful conduct of polling itself proved that the elections were held in a free and fair manner, expressing confidence that the party would register a clean sweep in both the zila parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls in the district. They asserted that voters had supported the party’s “common man-centric” policies and governance model.

Meanwhile, the BJP also sounded optimistic about its performance. The state vice-president of the party claimed that the BJP had made significant inroads into the rural belts of Ropar district and could spring surprises when the results are declared.