An estimated 55 per cent of total 52.75 electors exercised their franchise till 1600 hours in Punjab where the polling to four Lok Sabha seats was marred by stray incidents of violence in which six persons, including four Congress and one Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporter, were injured in the state.
While five Congress activists were injured in Barnala when youths owing allegiance to Students Organisation of India (SOI) -a youth wing of Akali Dal - indulged in hoolaganism outside a booth near bus stand, a SAD worker received bullet injuries in his arm after he was shot at by two unidentified persons at Arnabana chowk in Patiala , officials said.
However, according to the election office the polling is by and large peaceful in the state.
Four seats of Bathinda, Patiala, Sangrur and Ferozepur are Going to polls today whereas the polling to remaining nine seat will take place in the last phase on May 13.
At a polling booth at Sardulgarh in Mansa district BSP candidate Nem Chand was detained by police after seizing a weapon from him while he was entering a polling booth.
Tampers ran high outside a booth at Bathinda grain market between supporters of Congress and SOI forcing police to fire one shot in air to bring situation under control, police said adding that the polling at the booth was supended for a brief period and later it resumed.
The stakes are high for both Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his predecessor Capt Amarinder Singh as their family members are entangled in a do or die battle of ballot.
Badal's daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur, who is also wife of Deputy chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, is locking horns with Amarinder's son Raninder Singh from hyper sensitive Bathinda seat having considerable clout of Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
Besides, Amarinder's wife Preneet Kaur is hoping for a hat-trick from her traditional Patiala seat. She is facing a stiff challenge from SAD heavyweight Prem Singh Chandumajra also a two times MP.
Sitting MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD), former Punjab Youth Congress chief Vijay Inder Singla, former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (Lok Bhalai Party) and former MP and radical sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann are locked in a multi-cornered contest from predominantely agriculture seat of Sangrur.
Also at stake is AICC member Jagmeet Singh Brar's prestige against SAD's Sher Singh Ghubiaya from Ferozepur seat.
A resurgent Congress,which at present has two Seats, is hoping to turn tables against SAD-BJP which are expecting a repeat of 2004 performance when the alliance bagged eleven of the total 13 seats in the state.
