Ludhiana, June 19: Nearly half of Ludhiana West’s eligible electorate had cast their votes by 5 PM on Thursday in the crucial Assembly by-election, recording a voter turnout of 49.07%, according to election officials. Polling began at 7 AM and will continue till 6 PM, with counting scheduled for June 23.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. A total of 1,75,469 voters, including 85,371 women and 10 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote across 194 polling stations.
The turnout saw a steady rise through the day:
- 8.50% by 9 AM
- 21.51% by 11 AM
- 33.42% by 1 PM
- 41.04% by 3 PM
While polling was relatively slow in the early morning hours, likely due to the heat, footfall increased in the afternoon, officials said.
The by-election has drawn considerable attention with major political parties fielding heavyweight candidates. The ruling AAP has nominated Sanjeev Arora, a 61-year-old Rajya Sabha MP and noted industrialist known for his philanthropic work. Arora visited a local gurdwara, a temple, and the Dargah Pir in Phillaur with his family before casting his vote.
The Congress has put forward Bharat Bhushan Ashu, 51, a former minister and current working president of Punjab Congress, who previously represented the seat in 2012 and 2017. He lost to Gogi in the 2022 Assembly polls by 7,512 votes.
The BJP’s candidate is Jiwan Gupta, a senior leader and former general secretary of the Punjab BJP. He received a boost from Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, who posted a video on social media platform X, urging voters to support Gupta.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded Parupkar Singh Ghuman, a Ludhiana-based lawyer and former president of the local Bar Association.
Polling remained peaceful throughout the day, with no reports of violence or disruptions. General Observer Rajiv Kumar, who visited 44 booths, said: “Polling is being conducted in a peaceful manner. Voter enthusiasm is visible, and no unruly scenes have been reported.”
A total of 14 candidates are contesting the seat, but the battle is seen largely as a four-way contest between AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD. The bypoll is being watched closely as a litmus test for the ruling AAP’s performance midway through its term in Punjab.
