Nearly 45% polling in Punjab assembly bypoll
Chandigarh, May 28: Nearly 45 per cent polling was reported on Monday in the bye-election to the Shahkot assembly seat in Punjab, a poll official said.
With the prevailing heat wave in Punjab, voters started queuing up early in the day to cast their votes. Voting began at 7 a.m.
Long queues of voters, including women, were seen at some polling stations, especially in rural areas in the constituency located in Jalandhar district.
Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju said earlier that 1,72,676 voters will decide the fate of 12 candidates in this constituency.
The main contest is between the ruling Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), making it a three-cornered one.
Over 1,000 security personnel, including Punjab Police and Border Security Force (BSF), have been stationed in the constituency for a smooth process.
The seat fell vacant following the death of sitting Akali Dal legislator Ajit Singh Kohar in February. Kohar, a former minister, was elected five times from this seat.
His son Naib Singh Kohar has been fielded by the Akali Dal.
The Congress candidate is Hardev Singh Ladi, who had lost to Kohar by nearly 5,000 votes in the assembly elections in February 2017.
The AAP has fielded Rattan Singh as its candidate.
Counting of votes will take place on May 31.
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Defeated delimitation bill in Parliament to defend idea of India: Cong leader Rahul Gandhi
Chennai (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the opposition parties defeated the delimitation bill in the Parliament on Friday to defend the "idea of India."
Addressing a poll rally at Ponneri here, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre brought a new bill on April 16, and said they were trying to pass the women's bill, which he said was passed in 2023.
"In the so-called Women's Bill, delimitation was hidden. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Union of India... the delimitation move by BJP was to weaken the strength of southern states, small states, north eastern states," he alleged.
"We defeated in Parliament, a bill in which delimitation was hidden; we defeated it to defend the idea of India."
Rahul added that India that is Bharat, is a union of states, and every single state should have a voice, be free to express itself, and protect its tradition.
