Chandigarh: Punjab has recorded the voter turnout of 62.8 per cent for the 13 Lok Sabha seats that went to the polls on Saturday. In 2014, the voting percentage was 70.63 per cent, and in 2019, it was 65.94 per cent. Extreme heat conditions seemed to have been the common factor, affecting the poll percentage across the state.
Releasing the data, Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said as per the data received late Saturday night, Bathinda recorded the highest voter turnout of 69.36 per cent. Amritsar was the lowest at 56.06 per cent, Anandpur Sahib 61.98 per cent, Faridkot 63.34 per cent, Fatehgarh Sahib 62.53 per cent, Ferozepur 67.02 per cent, Gurdaspur 66.67 per cent and Hoshiarpur 58.86 per cent. He said 59.70 per cent polling had been recorded in Jalandhar, 62.55 per cent in Khadoor Sahib, 60.12 per cent in Ludhiana, 63.63 per cent in Patiala and 64.63 per cent in Sangrur.
As much as 63.27 per cent men cast vote while the female voters’ turnout was 62.28 per cent. Only 36.22 per cent transgender exercised their franchise. A total of 2,14,61,739 voters, including 1,01,74,240 women and 773 third-gender electors, were eligible to vote in Punjab.
For the 13 Lok Sabha seats, a total of 24,451 polling stations were set up. Of these, 5,694 polling stations were identified as critical.
Sibin expressed satisfaction at the turnout and thanked voters for turning up despite intense heat. He has appreciated political parties and candidates for maintaining peace. He has offered special gratitude to poll staff and security agencies for braving challenging working conditions to produce a successful election.
