Chandigarh, May 27 -- Clashes involving supporters of the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), allegations of booth capturing and voter intimidation were reported from several parts of Punjab during polling for elections to 102 civic bodies, including eight municipal corporations, held on Tuesday. The results will be declared on May 29. Besides eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Moga, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Abohar, Pathankot and Barnala, polling was held for 75 municipal councils and 20 nagar panchayats. The state recorded an overall voter turnout of 64% of the 3,545,567 registered voters. The local body elections are being seen as politically significant ahead of the assembly polls next year. At Majitha in Amritsar district, tense scenes were witnessed during polling for the municipal council as workers of the SAD and AAP clashed, leaving one person injured. AAP workers also allegedly confronted SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, forcing police intervention to disperse both groups. Slogans were raised by the SAD and AAP workers in favour and against Majithia as he, along with his wife Ganieve Kaur, arrived at the polling booth to cast votes, further escalating tensions. According to SAD workers, the husband of an AAP candidate allegedly entered a polling booth with several supporters and attempted to intimidate voters. SAD workers opposed the move and informed Majithia, who later reached the spot and spoke to police officials, demanding strict action against those allegedly disrupting the election process. Amid the confrontation, an AAP worker allegedly attacked a SAD worker with a sharp-edged weapon after removing his turban, leaving him injured. Amritsar Rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Suhail Qasim Mir reached the spot to bring the situation under control. Police detained some people and initiated legal proceedings. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said widespread violence across multiple towns reflected an attempt to "kill democracy at the grassroots level" and accused the state election commission and police of remaining silent spectators. In Ludhiana, Congress candidate from Ward number 4 in Raikot, Jagdev Singh Jagga was injured in an attack with sharp-edged weapons by a group of people. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the incident and slammed the AAP government over the law and order situation in the state. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg rejected the opposition's allegations, claiming the elections were conducted peacefully compared to earlier regimes and asserting that no incidents of booth capturing occurred anywhere in the state. At Bhawanigarh and Sunam in Sangrur district, tensions flared as ruling and opposition parties levelled allegations of booth capturing, election code violations and physical altercations. Congress leader and former cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla alleged that AAP attempted booth capturing and stated that he had approached the high court seeking court-monitored observers, which were granted. He claimed that in Ward No. 13, a Congress polling agent was forcibly removed after flagging fake votes, prompting intervention along with the station house officer to restore the agent inside the polling station. AAP MLA from Sangrur Narinder Kaur Bharaj rejected the allegations saying that AAP leaders did not enter any polling station. She accused Congress of creating unnecessary controversy due to lack of issues. In Sunam, Congress leader Rajinder Deepa allegedly pushed Amritpal Singh, officer on special duty to Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora, outside a polling station in Ward No. 1. Deepa alleged he was speaking to the media about lack of basic facilities when the OSD interfered with press interaction. The OSD, however, stated that Deepa was conducting a press interaction in violation of the election code near the polling area and misbehaved when questioned. In Bathinda, the personal security officer (PSO) of BJP district president Sarup Chand Singla was injured during a clash between BJP and AAP workers. Police said the PSO fired warning shots in the air to disperse the attackers. Cross-FIRs are being registered on the directions of the state election commission. In another incident, AAP leader Amarjit Mehta was accused of intimidating the family of independent candidate Ramandeep Kaur. Her husband alleged that armed men damaged vehicles and opened fire. Bathinda SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains said police had registered a case against unidentified persons and investigations were underway. She added that Mehta was not visible in the footage submitted so far. AAP and Shiromani Akali Dal workers also clashed near polling booths in Gidderbaha, Muktsar. In Barnala, Jasvir Singh, husband of a BJP candidate, was injured after being allegedly attacked with bricks and sharp-edged weapons. He alleged that AAP-linked outsiders were roaming in the ward and indulging in fraudulent voting at the ITI polling station. He further claimed his turban was forcibly removed during the attack. Singh demanded strict action against those responsible. Police said the injured was admitted to Barnala civil hospital and that an FIR would be registered after receipt of the medico legal report (MLR). At Samana in Patiala district, polling was marked by multiple incidents of violence, including stone-pelting, clashes, police intervention and allegations of booth capturing and fake voting. Residents of Ram Basti alleged intimidation and prevention from voting, triggering clashes with police. The situation escalated, with police resorting to lathi charge and firing in the air to disperse crowds. Several police personnel and civilians were injured. Reports also stated that masked men attacked polling stations and broke window panes in attempts to intimidate voters. In Ward No. 9 and Ward No. 3, allegations of booth capturing and fake voting attempts were reported. Patiala superintendent of police Vaibhav Chowdhary said the incident involved a clash between two groups, adding that the situation was brought under control immediately. Polling across 34 local bodies in south Malwa remained largely mixed, with incidents of clashes and allegations of high-handedness reported in some areas. The Doaba region, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur, witnessed largely peaceful polling with no major incidents of violence or booth capturing reported, recording an overall turnout of 64.38%. In Jalandhar district, municipal committees including Adampur, Kartarpur, Nakodar, Nurmahal and Phillaur recorded 66.62% turnout. Kapurthala municipal corporation reported 61.5%, Sultanpur Lodhi 68.84%, SBS Nagar 60.22%, and Hoshiarpur 65.53%. Onkar Singh, a former officer on special duty (OSD) to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, was detained by the police in Dhuri on Tuesday while local civic elections were underway. Sangrur SSP Ravjot Grewal confirmed the detention, stating it was a preventive measure taken after Onkar Singh, who switched to the BJP in January, was caught campaigning for the saffron party during the mandatory election "silent period". The silent period is the legally mandated 48-hour window before the close of voting. "The action follows orders from the Sangrur deputy commissioner prohibiting outsiders-individuals who are not registered voters within this specific constituency-from remaining in the area during polling," the SSP said, adding that multiple detentions were made and a final tally would be released by evening. Onkar, once a close ally of Mann, was appointed OSD in August 2022. He was removed from the post in September 2024 and subsequently joined the BJP on January 16, 2026. Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu faced a scuffle-like situation as he was stopped by police while trying to reach Dhuri to secure Onkar's release. After the release, Bittu targeted Mann, claiming the detention only highlighted the BJP's growing presence. "Resort to as much high-handedness as you want right now, but you will not be able to get away with it in 2027," Bittu said. "Mamata Banerjee used to think the same way. The police will only salute you as long as you hold power. This high-handedness in Dhuri-Mann's own constituency-shows their game is over," Bittu said. Onkar, a voter from the Lambi in Muktsar, said he was taken into custody around 8.30 am on Tuesday and released around 5.30 pm. Denying any election campaigning on the polling day, he alleged that AAP had deployed at least 50 individuals in every ward of Dhuri to cast fraudulent votes and he was encouraging BJP candidates. AAP leader and Sunam MLA Aman Arora defended the administration after casting his vote. "We decided from Day 1 that there should be no high-handedness or unfair cancellation of nominations," he said, adding: "People trust us, we have done an immense work. In about 10 months, we will face our elections. We want to see through these votes where we stand strong and where we are weak."...