Punjab Civic Body Survey Results Live: Counting Begins; All eyes on 102 bodies, including Mohali, Zirakpur

Punjab witnessed an overall voter turnout of 63.94 per cent in the 2026 municipal general elections, according to the official polling day summary released by the state election authorities.

A total of 22,38,241 votes were cast in 102 municipalities, including municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The elections covered 1,897 wards and 3,833 polling stations across the state.

Among all the categories, Nagar Panchayats recorded the highest voter turnout at 76.18 per cent, followed by Municipal Corporations at 65.06 per cent. Municipal bodies recorded a turnout of 59.91 percent.

According to the data, the municipal bodies had 10.71 lakh voters, out of which 6.41 lakh votes were polled. Municipal councils had the largest number of voters, with more than 22.87 thousand voters, and nearly 14.88 thousand votes cast. In Nagar panchayat, more than 1.07 lakh votes were registered out of 1.41 lakh voters.

7,554 competing candidates participated in the electoral process in all urban local bodies. Male voter turnout remained slightly higher than female voter turnout, while 78 votes were recorded in the “other” category statewide.

Clashes during the Punjab civic body elections

Clashes involving Congress, AAP, BJP and SAD supporters and allegations of booth grabbing were reported on Tuesday at several places in Punjab during the civic elections. There were reports of clashes in many places.

Congress candidate for ward number 4 in Raikot, Jagdev Singh Jaga, was injured in an attack with sharp weapons by a group of people. Officials said he was shifted to a private hospital in Ludhiana.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Waring and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the incident and criticized the AAP government over the law and order situation in the state.

“The brutal attack on Congress candidate Jagdev Singh Jaga in Raikot exposes the complete breakdown of law and order under the Bhagwant Mann government. Gangsters and political thugs are roaming freely while the government is busy with advertisements and reels. If election candidates are insecure, imagine the condition of common people in Punjab,” Waring said on Channel X.

Waring later in the evening inquired about Jagga’s health after visiting the hospital in Ludhiana.

“Any attack on my Congressman is an attack on my family. The brutal attack on Jagdev Singh Jaja is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. Violence has no place in a democracy. Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice immediately. Punjab cannot be allowed to operate through fear and intimidation,” Waring said.

In Barnala, the husband of BJP candidate from ward number 15, Deepinder Kaur, was allegedly assaulted by a group of people after heated arguments after he claimed it was a fake vote. It is alleged that his turban was removed, resulting in injuries that resulted in him being taken to hospital.

A clash broke out between supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at Jedarbha in Muktsar district during polling in Ward No. 18 and 19, officials said.

The SAD later filed a complaint with the Punjab State Election Commission against AAP MLA Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and others, accusing them of indulging in booth grabbing, assault and intimidation during municipal elections, and demanding registration of an FIR against them.

However, officials rejected allegations of any incident of booth grabbing during polling.

Tensions prevailed at Samana in Patiala as supporters of two rival political parties clashed and then pelted stones at policemen during polling in Ward No. 19.

Officials said that the police resorted to using sticks to disperse the crowd, and the voting process was temporarily stopped.

They said that SAD and AAP supporters clashed in Amritsar’s Majitha area, prompting the police to intervene in the matter.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked the Mann government over the incident and alleged that during the Assembly elections in Majithia, AAP workers, with the support of Punjab Police, indulged in booth grabbing, violence and intimidation.

He further said that a young Sikh man was stripped of his turban and alleged that Majitha was no longer subject to the rule of law.

He claimed that Congress candidates, independent candidates, opposition workers and ordinary voters were subjected to intimidation and rioting during polling.

In Mor Mandi, BJP and RJD supporters engaged in heated exchanges.

Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Waring claimed that the violence, intimidation and pressure tactics witnessed in the country during the elections are extremely shameful and absolutely unacceptable in a democratic system.

He added: “I strongly demand that strict measures be taken against every person involved in these attacks and acts of chaos, regardless of their political affiliations.”

He demanded re-poll in Mohali

Former deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi has alleged violation of ballot secrecy during the municipal body elections held in Punjab on May 26 and demanded a high-level probe and re-poll.

Bedi submitted a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Chief Electoral Officer Punjab, Chief Secretary Punjab and Deputy Commissioner Mohali, alleging that ballot papers issued during polling bore serial numbers identical to those printed on counter papers, making it possible to trace voters’ choices.

In his complaint, Bedi stated that he went to cast his vote at polling booth No. 38 set up at the Ambedkar Institute in Phase 3B2, Mohali, of Ward No. 10. He alleged that after receiving the ballot paper from the polling staff, he noticed that both the counter paper and the ballot paper had the same serial number.

According to Bedi, the process threatens the secrecy of voting, as votes can allegedly be later identified by matching the serial numbers of ballot papers with those on the corresponding papers signed by voters.

He claimed that when he objected to the process, poll workers informed him that the ballot papers had been submitted in the same format by the Election Commission, and they were unable to make any changes.

Bedi described the matter as dangerous, and said that the secrecy of voting supports the holding of free and fair elections, and any possibility of linking voters to their votes undermines public confidence in the electoral process.

In the memorandum, Bedi referred to Rule 38 of the Election Conduct Rules, 1961, and the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, relating to the secrecy of voting. He also cited the Supreme Court ruling in People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India.

Bedi called for criminal action to be taken against the officials responsible, and warned that he would go to court if the authorities failed to take necessary measures.