56% POLLING IN GURDASPUR LOK SABHA BYPOLL

The high-stakes Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll recorded a 56% voter turnout on Wednesday, lower than the 70.03% recorded in the 2014 general elections. Voting at 1,781 polling stations passed off peacefully, officials said. The bypoll is being seen as a barometer for the popularity of the six-month-old Congress government in Punjab. The seat, which had fallen vacant following the demise of actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna of the BJP in April, is witnessing a three-horse race between the Congress, the BJP and the AAP. While the Congress has fielded its Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar, the BJP has put up businessman Swaran Salaria. The AAP has placed a bet on Major General (retd) Suresh Khajuria.