Amid Opposition’s apprehensions, all set for counting of votes today

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, June 3

Amid apprehensions that electronic voting machines (EVMs) could be tampered with and Opposition parties keeping a strict vigil at strongrooms where the machines are stored, all arrangements are in place for counting of votes polled for the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency at nine counting centres in the district on Tuesday.

DISTRICT PROFILE

• Parliamentary constituencies: 2 (Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib)
• Assembly seats: 14 (Ludhiana 9, Fatehgarh Sahib 5)
• Total candidates: 57 (Ludhiana 43, Fatehgarh Sahib 14)
• Total votes: Ludhiana 17,58,614; Fatehgarh Sahib 15,52,567
• Polled votes: Ludhiana 10,57,274; Fatehgarh Sahib 9,70,783

AAP’s prestige at stake

The poll outcome will decide whether the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, which had sprung a surprise by winning an unprecedented 13 of the total 14 Assembly constituencies in the district in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, would be able to retain the hold in Malwa’s biggest pocket.

No-vehicle zone

The 100-m radius around the counting centres has been declared a ‘no-vehicle zone’ and traffic police personnel have been deputed to ensure smooth flow of traffic in and around the centres.

Holiday & dry day

Holiday has been declared for teaching and non-teaching staff and students in all educational institutions where counting will be held. Also, a dry day has been declared in the district on Tuesday.

Verdict to come out by noon

The verdict is expected to come out around noon. The first results would be out around 10 am from the Atam Nagar, Ludhiana South and Ludhiana Central segments, which have minimum of 167, 174 and 178 polling stations, respectively, followed by Ludhiana West, Jagraon, Ludhiana North, Dakha, Ludhiana East and Gill, having 192, 198, 201, 217, and 222 polling stations, respectively. The Gill Assembly segment with a maximum of 294 polling stations will be the last results in the Ludhiana LS constituency.

Even as the fate of 43 candidates, which was the maximum count in the state, was sealed in the EVMs on June 1, the winner would be among Ravneet Singh Bittu, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring or Ashok Parashar Pappi.

Who would become the new MP from Ludhiana would be known when counting of 10,57,274 polled votes gets underway at the counting centres spread across nine locations — one each for every Assembly segment falling under this predominantly urban and general seat.

Polling in Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib LS seats falling in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, was held on June 1.

A total of 1,847 EVMs at 1,843 polling stations, and 12 additional VVPAT machines sealed with the fate of 43 contestants from Ludhiana have been kept at their respective counting centres under fool-proof three-tier security arrangements backed by 24×7 CCTV surveillance in place.

The counting of votes would begin at 8 am, DEO-cum-DC Sakshi Sawhney told The Tribune on Monday.

She said the third and final rehearsal of counting staff in the presence of election observers at the respective counting centres was conducted here this monring when the duty roster was also circulated.

The third and final randomisation of the counting staff would be held tomorrow at 5 am, following which the deployment would be made at the counting centres.

The DEO said three-tier tight security arrangements had been made in and around the counting centres, which had been duly sealed, to avert any possible sabotage or pilferage. “For the first time, batteries of the EVMs had also been detached and would be attached again at the time of counting.”

The EVMs and VVPAT machines brought to the designated strongrooms from all polling stations were being guarded by the police and paramilitary personnel under round-the-clock vigil.

CP Nilabh Kishore said in the first layer, CAPF personnel were deployed near the strongrooms, Punjab Armed Police (PAP) personnel were deputed in the second layer and district police personnel were manning the outer layer.

Besides, 24 CAPF personnel in three shifts of eight each, 20 personnel each of the PAP and the Commissionerate/ district police were deployed at each strongroom.

He said 14 strongrooms had been established at many locations with 24×7 tight security and CCTV surveillance to ensure safety of the EVMs and VVPAT machines.

Over 60% polling

Over 60 per cent of voters had turned out to elect their representative for the 18th Lok Sabha in Ludhiana on Saturday. While the urban Assembly segment of Ludhiana West topped the parliamentary constituency with the highest of over 63 per cent polling, the rural Jagraon Assembly segment recorded the lowest of over 56 per cent voter turnout, the official figures have revealed.

It was not much less than 62.77 per cent polling recorded in Ludhiana in 2019 while the 2022 Assembly poll had reported 67.67 per cent turnout when AAP had sprung a surprise by winning an unprecedented 13 of the total 14 Assembly seats.

However, Ludhiana’s polling this time was also over 2 per cent less than the state’s average voter turnout of 62.8 per cent.

As many as 10,57,274, including 5,80,754 male, 4,76,484 female, and 36 third gender of the total 17,58,614 voters had exercised their franchise. It accounted for 60.12 per cent voter turnout, which was almost 7 per cent less than 67.67 per cent polling recorded in the 2022 Assembly poll and around 2 per cent less than 62.77 per cent turnout logged in the 2019 parliamentary elections in Ludhiana. The 2017 Assembly poll had registered 74.81 per cent polling in the district.

Triangular contest

It is for the first time in the political history that Ludhiana has witnessed a triangular battle this time.

The rather unexpected entry of Warring had turned Ludhiana, which is a predominantly urban general constituency, into a hot seat and also made the contest interesting.

The three-time MLA from Gidderbaha and former Transport Minister, Warring has come here all the way from his home constituency Bathinda to contest what he says, “war against traitor”.

Once party colleagues and friends, Warring and Bittu have turned foes, with the latter calling the Congress candidate, who is also former president of the Indian Youth Congress, an “outsider”, saying he had been “tricked by sharks in the Congress to end his clout in the party”.

Bittu had quit the Congress to join the BJP, which has fielded him again from Ludhiana, which the grandson of slain former Chief Minister Beant Singh, has been representing since 2014. The ruling AAP’s sitting first-time MLA Pappi gave Bittu and Warring a tough fight, turning the contest triangular.

Pollsters feel the highest turnout of 63.34 per cent recorded in urban Ludhiana West Assembly segment and the lowest of 56.79 per cent polling in rural Jagraon has boosted Bittu’s chances even as the turnout crossing 62 per cent in Dakha and almost 61 per cent in another rural Assembly segment of Gill was considered shot in the arm for the Congress. Pappi’s Ludhiana Central Assembly segment reported 60.28 per cent turnout, of which AAP claims to be the major beneficiary.

The female turnout of 58.01 per cent and heavy polling by migrants, opine the pollsters, also favour the saffron party.

The SAD’s former one-time MLA from Ludhiana East Ranjit Singh Dhillon, who also tried hard to remain in the contest, remained hopeful with his own segment logging the second highest 61.63 per cent turnout.

Having over 17.59 lakh voters spread across nine Assembly segments in the district, the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency has been the stronghold of the Congress and the SAD, which had won this Sikh-dominated but urban seat for 11 and five times, respectively. Of the total 18 Lok Sabha elections held here since 1952, the Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar) and the Swatantra Party, founded by C Rajagopalachari, had also represented Ludhiana once each in 1989 and 1962, respectively.

While the AAP had contested this seat once in 2014, finishing runner-up, the BJP had supported the SAD under its previous alliance for nine times and had fought Ludhiana alone twice in 1996 and 1992 when it had ended third and second, respectively.

No hat-trick yet

Since the parliamentary elections in 1977, no one has recorded a hat-trick so far by winning the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat three times in a row. Bittu in 2019 and 2014, Amrik Singh Aliwal of the SAD in 1998 and 1996, and Devinder Singh Garcha of the Congress in 1967 and 1971, had been elected from here twice consecutively during the past 18 elections. However, Garcha, after losing his hat-trick poll in 1977, had also made a comeback in 1980, becoming the only one to represent Ludhiana in the Lok Sabha thrice so far.

Bittu is seeking a rare third consecutive term from Ludhiana this election while all other contestants were first-timers.

After parting ways over contentious farm laws, the SAD and the BJP contested the parliamentary poll separately for the first time after 1996.

Counting tables

As many as 14 counting tables with seven each in two halls at seven counting centres for Ludhiana South, Atma Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill and Jagraon while 12 counting tables with six each in two halls in the Ludhiana East and Dakha Assembly segments have been set up for counting of votes.

Opposition on alert, AAP remains optimistic

Despite the Election Commission repeatedly allaying apprehensions on this count, dismissing all reports of EVM manipulation, workers of Opposition parties are putting up round-the-clock vigil outside counting centres.

The BJP, Congress and the SAD leaders have urged their respective party workers to keep faith in their leadership and asked them to remain vigilant.

On the other hand, the ruling AAP leaders said the Opposition parties were seeking excuses in the face of their imminent defeat and raising doubts over EVMs. “When they see their defeat is imminent, they raise doubts over the EVMs but when they win elsewhere, they don’t say anything about the EVMs,” they said, adding that: “Why did they not raise doubts after they won in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh?” They said the Opposition was making “needless controversy” over the EVMs, which they claimed were fool-proof.

14 counting centres

Fourteen counting centres have been set up for the counting of votes for Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituencies in the district on Tuesday.