BYPOLLS: VOTING LOWEST IN PUNJAB

New Delhi, June 23: Polling was by and large peaceful in the bypolls for three Lok Sabha and seven Assembly seats spread across five states and Delhi on Thursday barring an incident of stabbing of a policeman in Tripura, where polling was the highest at 76.62 per cent. In Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the turnout was below 45 per cent while it was 56 per cent in Jharkhand and 67 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. The final figures are likely to change.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the turnout was 43 per cent in the bypolls to the Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling BJP of misusing power to disrupt voting. He alleged that though the EC was informed about the developments, the election machinery remained a mute spectator.

The turnout in Tripura for the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies was an impressive 76.62 per cent.

Opposition Congress demanded repoll in four booths of Agartala constituency, claiming largescale rigging, while TMC alleged that “democracy was murdered” in the name of by-elections.

The ruling BJP exuded confidence in winning all the four seats — Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bardowali. Chief Minister Manik Saha is contesting from Town Bardowali. He needs to win this election to continue as the chief minister. He is a Rajya Sabha member who was sworn in last month after the then chief minister Biplab Deb’s sudden resignation.

Punjab saw a low turnout of just over 37 per cent in the bypoll to the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.