Chandigarh, Dec 16: Punjab recorded an overall voter turnout of 48.4 per cent in the zila parishad and block samiti elections, the lowest in recent decades, with only 62.96 lakh of the 1.30 crore eligible voters exercising their franchise, according to State Election Commission data.
Among the districts, Amritsar registered the lowest turnout at 38.62 per cent, while Malerkotla recorded the highest at 56.37 per cent. As many as eleven districts, including Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana, reported polling of less than 50 per cent.
A re-poll was ordered at nine booths in Amritsar, while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said re-polling was conducted at 15 places across the state. Incidents of violence were reported from Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, officials said.
The turnout has shown a steady decline over the years, dropping from 68 per cent in 2008 to 63 per cent in 2013, 58.1 per cent in 2018 and further to 48.4 per cent in 2025.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP, targeted the ruling AAP over the low turnout, accusing it of using strong-arm tactics, police intimidation and misuse of the administration to suppress voting. Opposition leaders termed the poor participation a “no-confidence motion” against the AAP government and claimed that voters stayed away from the polls out of fear and loss of faith in the electoral process.
Rejecting the allegations, the AAP said the elections were conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner and accused the Opposition of indulging in propaganda to hide its impending defeat. The party maintained that re-polls were ordered due to misprinted ballot papers and not because of violence.
AAP leaders also said internal surveys have been initiated to assess the party’s popularity and the government’s performance. Political analysts, meanwhile, attributed the low turnout to an erosion of public faith in institutions and electoral processes, a trend they said has been visible across successive governments in the state.
