Amid Farmers' Protest, counting for Punjab civic body elections underway
Chandigarh, Feb 17: Counting of votes for the polling to over 100 civic bodies in Punjab is underway on Wednesday, officials said.
The counting started at 9 am. Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centres, they said.
Over 70 per cent of voting was recorded in the civic body elections on February 14.
A total of 9,222 candidates were in the fray for elections to 2,302 wards of the eight municipal corporations of Abohar, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Moga and 109 municipal councils in the state.
As the State Election Commission had ordered on Tuesday re-polling at two polling booths of Mohali Municipal Corporation, the counting for this entire civic body will take place on Thursday.
Of the total candidates, 2,832 were independents, 2,037 from the ruling Congress, while 1,569 were Shiromani Akali Dal nominees.
The BJP, AAP and the BSP had fielded 1,003, 1,606 and 160 candidates, respectively.
The SAD and the BJP fought the elections separately after the former walked out of the National Democratic Alliance over the farm laws issue last year.
After the opposition parties had accused the ruling Congress of "capturing booths" and "indulging in violence" during polling on Sunday, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said on Tuesday they were crying foul in the face of their "imminent defeat" in the polls.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
