Punjab Municipal Elections 2021: Counting of votes for 116 urban local bodies underway

results of recently-conducted elections in Punjab's eight municipal corporations and 109 Municipal Council-Nagar Panchayats will be declared on Wednesday. 

civic body polls are seen as a litmus test for all four main political rivals Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

high octane municipal elections are first ground-level poll battle between parties amid intense ongoing farmers' stir in nation. ruling Congress and BJP's former ally SAD have termed se civic polls as a 'referendum’ on contentious farm laws.

elections witnessed over 70% voter turut to elect over 100 civic body representatives in Punjab. voting was conducted rar peacefully, except skirmishes in certain areas and accusations from Opposition that Congress was indulging in violence and misusing government machinery.

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Punjab Civic Body Polls

As many as 9,222 candidates are in fight to be elected into 2,302 wards in eight municipal corporations of Punjab, namely - Abohar, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, and Moga, and 109 municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats.

Congress has fielded 2,037 candidates while 1,569 and are from SAD, 2,832 candidates are independents. BJP, AAP, and Bahujan Samaj Party have fielded 1,003, 1,606, and 160 candidates, respectively.

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Punjab was put on high alert with as many as 19,000 police personnel deputed to conduct free and fair elections. Voters were also screened through rmal scanners at polling booths in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. re are 20,49,777 male,18,65,354 female and 149 trans voters, totalling 39,15,280 registered voters in state for civic body elections, EC spokesperson said.

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