Malerkotla, Punjab’s ‘youngest’ district, sees 66% turnout

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, June 1

Polling in the erstwhile princely state of Malerkotla, the only town of Punjab with Muslim majority, passed off peacefully at 400 polling booths located under Amargarh Assembly segment of Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency and Malerkotla Assembly segment of Sangrur parliamentary constituency.

However, the administration remained on the toes for handling any untoward situation as some minor scuffles among supporters of rival candidates were reported at some places. Besides, traffic snarl-ups were seen at some places due to narrow lanes leading to polling stations situated in the heart of the city.

Patiala DIG Harcharan Bhullar, who visited various polling stations to inspect security arrangements, said a crackdown launched against anti-social elements ahead of the commencement of the election process and strategic deployment of security personnel had enabled the administration in conducting election peacefully at all 400 polling booths, including the vulnerable ones.

District election officer Pallavi said uninterrupted centralised online monitoring of all 400 booths with the help of efficient webcasting had facilitated senior functionaries, led by AROs Gurmit Bansal and Aparna MB, to take remedial action promptly during the polling process.

Though the administration had aimed at a higher voting percentage by undertaking SVEEP activities till the conclusion of polling, the percentage did not go beyond 66.

All special voters, including first-timers, elderly and PwD (persons with disability) were presented with saplings, besides a citation certificate received from the Election Commission.

The ‘youngest’ district of the state, Malerkotla has three subdivisions and two Assembly segments.