Chandigarh, Dec 14: Local body polling in Punjab on Sunday witnessed disruptions in several areas, including village-level boycotts and clashes between rival political groups, officials said.
In five villages under the Samana Assembly constituency in Patiala district — Kotli, Bhedpuri, Dodhra, Sehajpur Kalan and Sehajpur Khurd — residents boycotted the elections in protest against their inclusion in the Patran block instead of Samana.
“Not a single vote was cast in our villages till noon,” a local resident said, adding that Samana town is geographically closer, while Patran is nearly 30 km away, making access to basic services difficult.
Tension was also reported in Tarn Taran’s Kazi Kot village, where workers of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal allegedly came face to face and pelted stones at each other.
A similar incident was reported from Betu Kadim village in Ferozepur district, where two groups allegedly clashed and resorted to stone-pelting.
Police were deployed at sensitive locations to prevent further escalation. “The situation is under control and polling was conducted peacefully in most parts of the state,” a police official said.
Despite the incidents, officials said voter turnout crossed 30% by 2 p.m., and polling continued till the scheduled closing time.
