Punjab just hosted
one of the most-anticipated Assembly elections Sunday as the only state with a
Congress government among those going to polls right now. The border state voted
to elect its 117-seat Assembly in a truly multi-cornered contest. At 5 pm
Sunday, the voter turnout in Punjab was pegged at around 64%. While the final
number will roll in only on Monday, it is extremely likely that the turnout will
be short of the turnout last time – 77.63%.

A turnout under
the 70%-mark is regarded to be on the lower end. The 64% figure is slightly
surprising for Punjab because it was largely assumed that the problem of low
voter turnout in the state has largely resolved itself. Turnout numbers of
these polls hark back to elections in 2002 when the state saw a voter turnout
of 65.14%. The last three elections saw relatively high turnouts – 75.43% in
2007, 78.3% in 2012 and 77.36% in 2017.

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Amritsar East, one
of the most high-profile constituencies, where Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Punjab
Congress chief, went up against Shiromani Akali Dal’s Bikram Singh Majithia,
saw one of the lowest turnouts in the state – 53%.

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The Malwa region,
regarded as key to securing power in Punjab and one of those areas the Aam
Aadmi Party thinks may propel it to power, saw a voter turnout remained low.
This was especially true in the seats AAP considers its bastions, according to
an Indian Express report. Malwa is one of the biggest and most influential
regions in Punjab. It makes for 69 of the 117 seats in the Assembly.

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It was in the
Malwa region that the AAP broke new ground in 2017 when it gained from SAD to
become the second-largest party in the state. The region was also crucial in
bringing the Congress to power with 40 of the 69 seats going to the grand old
party.

In Chamkaur Sahib,
the constituency from where sitting Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is
seeking re-election, the turnout was 70% and 71.30% respectively. In Dhuri, Bhagwant
Mann, AAP’s CM face is contesting the polls. Dhuri saw a turnout of 68% till 5
pm. Results of the Punjab elections will be declared on March 10.