Polling In Low Key In Punjab

From Our Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 12, - The one-day Assembly poll in Punjab today was peaceful. The percentage of voting was moderate – varying from 45 per cent to 55 per cent. There were, however, reports of minor altercations between supporters of rival candidates in Amritsar and Baghapurana.

There was widespread rain in most parts of the State last night and early this morning. The sudden fall in temperature kept tempers cool. It also helped in promoting brisk polling in urban centres – specially in places having a large labour population.

Part VI Election series :  Punjab Assembly Elections — 1977

• Anti-Emergency wave drowns Congress
• Badal Sworn In As Chief Minister
• 15 Punjab Ministers Sworn In
• PLUMS OF OFFICE-Editorial on June 28, 1977
• Haryana, Punjab to go to polls on June 12
• Zail Singh not to contest
• Mrs. Gandhi Not to Go Campaigning
• Ignoring Of Women In Punjab List Regrettable -CHANDRA SHEKHAR
• Punjab To Have Over 9,200 Polling Stations
• Akali Bid to win over Independents
• Results on June 14
• Polling In Low Key In Punjab
• Punjab goes to poll today
• Badal Outlines Austerity Steps
• Akalis On Verge Of Absolute Majority

Voting in the rural areas was low, expect in such constituencies as Gidderbaha, from where Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister for Irrigation and Agriculture, is seeking entry into the Punjab Assembly, and Muktsar, from where Mr. Kanwarjit Singh Brar, son of the Governor of Orissa, is the Congress nominee. In the constituency of Mr. Jaswinder Singh Brar, former Leader of the Akali Assembly Party, polling was rather poor.

Long queues at the polling booths, much in evidence three months ago, were missing, like the enthusiastic electioneering of the Lok Sabha election. Nearly 25% of the electorate exercised their franchise in the first five hours. In some villages intermittent drizzling discouraged voting.

KAPURTHALA: Polling for four Assembly seats in Kapurthala district commenced on a happy note as overnight showers and drizzling in the morning had brought out down the mercury, and many unwilling aged voters, afraid of heat, decided to exercise their franchise.

There were 290 polling stations. Previously all the Assembly seats had been won by the Congress candidates. They were seeking re-election and faced the powerful Akali-Janata combine every-where. One former Cabinet Minister, one Minister of State, one General Secretary of the Pradesh Congress and one Akali Dal Secretary were in the field. After the merger of PEPSU with Punjab in 1956, Kapurthala district had three Assembly seats, but from this year it has four seats.

FEROZEPORE: Polling was peaceful in the 722 polling stations of the nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Ferozepore district. Women voters outnumbered men almost everywhere.

This correspondent, who visited about two dozen polling stations in Ferozepore and Zira subdivisions, found that long queues witnessed during the Lok Sabha poll in March were not to be seen. Voting was poor, it being hardly 45 per cent mainly because farmers are still seen busy in fields in collecting and taking their wheat to markets.