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36% vote in Sangrur; EC asks chief secretary why more polling time sought

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The Lok Sabha bypoll in Punjab’s Sangrur constituency Thursday saw a voter turnout of 36.4 per cent till 5 pm, officials said, the day ending with the Election Commission seeking an explanation from the state chief secretary and the district’s deputy commissioner for seeking an extension in the polling time.

In a strongly worded letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, the panel said a letter sent by the returning officer and a subsequent request by the chief secretary “at 4.05 pm” amounted to an attempt to “unduly interfere in the election process and influence a certain class of voters.”

“ECI seeks explanation from DC Sangrur and Chief Secretary Punjab for asking for extension of polling time towards the closing hours at 4pm without any new facts appearing on the day of polling, and thereby attempting to influence a section of voters,” the EC spokesperson said.

“The commission condemns such behavior by the officers during the election process,” the letter stated as it asked the returning officer to appear before the commission by 1 pm Friday.

The voting percentage on Thursday is a sharp dip from 2019, when the constituency recorded a poll percentage of 72.40 per cent.

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