Chandigarh

Around 13.5 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 10 am on Tuesday in elections being held for 103 municipal bodies across Punjab, officials said.

Polling began at 8 am using ballot papers and will continue until 5 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 29.

The elections are being conducted for 1,896 wards spread across eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats.

The municipal corporations going to polls are Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot.

A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting the polls. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has fielded the highest number of candidates at 1,801, followed by 1,550 candidates from the Indian National Congress, 1,316 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 1,251 from the Shiromani Akali Dal and 96 from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Additionally, 1,528 Independent candidates are in the fray.

Officials said 1,613 candidates are contesting across 396 wards in the eight municipal corporations. In the 75 municipal councils, 5,142 candidates are contesting in 1,282 wards, while 800 candidates are contesting in 218 wards of the 20 Nagar Panchayats.

The total electorate for the municipal polls stands at 35,45,567 voters, including 17,11,635 women and 220 voters registered under the “others” category.

Authorities have identified 740 polling booths as sensitive and 275 as hyper-sensitive. Around 35,000 election personnel and 32,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the elections.

Despite heatwave conditions, voters — particularly women and senior citizens — were seen lining up outside polling stations in the morning hours.

Ashwani Sharma, working president of the Punjab BJP, cast his vote in Pathankot and appealed to residents to participate actively in the democratic process to help build a “developed Pathankot.”

Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi also exercised his franchise in Batala.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring arrived at a polling station in Muktsar on a bullock cart along with his wife Amrita Warring. Warring said the symbolic gesture was intended to highlight the burden faced by ordinary citizens due to rising fuel prices.

Punjab ministers Aman Arora and Harjot Singh Bains also appealed to voters to cast their ballots.

Meanwhile, Bikram Singh Majithia alleged inadequate arrangements for differently abled voters, claiming wheelchairs were not available at several polling stations, causing inconvenience to voters with mobility issues.

Officials said extensive arrangements and security measures had been put in place to ensure peaceful, transparent and orderly polling across the state.

The Punjab government has declared a public holiday on May 26 to facilitate voting. The holiday applies to all state government offices, boards, corporations and educational institutions, including those located in Chandigarh.

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The civic elections are being viewed as politically significant for major parties, including the AAP, BJP, Congress and SAD, ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.