Punjab Assembly Elections 2012

  On 30^th January,2012 from 8 a.m. onwards till 5 p.m. voting held in Punjab State for all the 117 assembly constituencies and except few minor incidents of clashes, elections held peacefully. As per details furnish by Election Commission this time voter turnout was 76.63 percent which is record polling in the history of Punjab assembly elections, previously highest was recorded in the 2007 assembly election that was 75.47 percent. Counting of votes will take place on 6^th March,2012 and this is also very first time that after polls counting of votes have gap of more then one month period, it is due to that Punjab state has gone for polls along with four other states of country and as Uttar Pradesh elections will held in seven phases’ and after completion of last phase in Uttar Pradesh polls, counting of votes in all the five poll states will start on 6^th March,2012.
  Credit goes to the Election Commission for peaceful elections in the state and because of its sharp vigil supervision it has collected undeclared money worth Rupees 30 crores which they handed over to the Income Tax department plus big haul of wine and drugs also seized, Election Commission this time distributed voter slips to the voters at their residence having detail of voter card numbers and photo of the voters, which help them to cast their votes without any problem and it also help election officials to recognize voters and get rid on the vogues voting easily, heavy deployment of security personals until polls, so perhaps all these were the factors of high turnout of voters, ruling and oppositions parties have their assessments on to record percentage, like –

• Record percentage means peoples are angry against ruling party/alliance.
• Peoples  comes in huge numbers to vote because they are happy with the government work and want that development work in the state continue, so record turnout is sign of pro incumbency factor.
• As this time in the state election Sanjha Morcha emerges as third front that is the reason they become voter puller thus vote percentage was all time high.

    In the elections there was not any wave towards any party or alliance so till polls no political party / alliance claim with confidence that public will give verdict to them, but in the media they don’t forget to claim public is fully stand behind them. One more factor plays crucial role in the Punjab state assembly elections that is support of  Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa which have fifty lakhs followers in the Malwa region and Malwa region has 64 seats out of 117 assembly seats, so it plays vital role in the results of state assembly elections, but this time Dera Sacha Sauda remain silent and have not openly support any party or candidates instead asked its followers to vote for honest and good candidates, before elections in the first week till twentieth of January few pre polls analysis( opinion polls) declared Indian National Congress will come to power without any problem and if they lose then it will be because of  Indian National Congress dissidents. Later on in the last seven days few more opinion polls tilt towards SAD/BJP alliance, so in these scenario its obvious till 6^th March,2012 thick speculation will remain in the air and only after 6^th March,2012 everything will crystal clear as far public mandate is concern to govern the state for next five years by any part or alliance.
   Although it was recorded 76.63 percent voters turnout but why 23.37 percent skip to use their democratic right of voting, in the country during elections debate was on how to attract voters to cast their votes, even somebody have suggested that voting should make mandatory and failure of it should be punish despite on polls day area under voting declared as public holiday so that everybody use their voting right without any burden of to go office, but along with it one should understand why peoples skip to votes as majority of believers are perhaps voters don’t like contesting candidates and if this is the reason then Election Commission add one more button on EVM of Right to rejection plus then make mandatory of casting votes then certainly it can change the thinking of voters and can attract voters to the polling booths in more then 99.99 percent.