Polling across seven civic bodies in Jalandhar district averaged about 66.67 per cent till 5 pm on Tuesday.
Among the Nagar Panchayat elections, Lohian Khas recorded the highest turnout at 71.72 per cent and Mehatpur with 68.97 per cent. In Municpal Council elections, Noormahal recorded the highest voter turnout with 69.58 per cent, followed by 65.58 per cent in Nakodar, 65.02 per cent in Kartarpur, 64.59 per cent in Adampur and 61.22 per cent in Phillaur.
As many as 133 booths were set up in Adampur, Kartarpur, Nakodar, Nurmahal, Phillaur, Mehatpur and Lohian Khas.
Polling was held for five Municipal Councils — Adampur, Kartarpur, Nakodar, Nurmahal and Phillaur and two Nagar Panchayats, Mehatpur and Lohian Khas.
In the Adampur Municipal Council, polling took place for 13 wards where 44 candidates were in the fray. Kartarpur witnessed contests among 50 candidates across 15 wards, while Nakodar had 55 candidates contesting from 17 wards.
In Nurmahal, 41 candidates contested from 13 wards, whereas Phillaur saw 57 candidates fighting elections across 15 wards. Similarly, polling was held for 13 wards each in Mehatpur and Lohian Khas Nagar Panchayats, where 47 candidates contested in both civic bodies.
Tension briefly prevailed at Ward No 5 in Adampur shortly before the conclusion of polling for the Municipal Council elections on Tuesday after Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Kotli alleged the presence of unauthorised persons inside Polling Booth No 5 located at the Municipal Council office.
The incident took place around 5 pm when the Congress MLA and AAP workers came face-to-face outside the polling booth and raised slogans against each other, leading to the heated exchange. In a video that surfaced on social media, Kotli could be seen arguing with police personnel and questioning the presence of certain individuals inside the booth premises.
However, Lal Vishwas Bains, SDM-cum-Returning Officer, Adampur, said, “No unauthorised person was present inside the polling booth. Polling was being conducted under CCTV surveillance and no such entry was possible. Police personnel intervened immediately and the matter was deescalated,” he said.
Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Kotli remained unavailable for comment despite repeated calls and messages.
The counting of votes for the civic body elections will take place on May 29.
