Punjab municipal elections 2017 live updates: Voting underway in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala

Chandigarh: The voting for the municipal polls in Punjab kickstarted on Sunday. 40 municipal bodies in Punjab, including the key municipal corporations of Jalandhar, Patiala and Amritsar are going to polls today. Polling is being held in 327 wards of the 29 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats.

Latest updates

- Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu cast their votes at Ward No 9's polling station 5 in Amritsar.

- BJP leader Tarun Singh Chugh casts vote in Amritsar during Punjab Municipal Elections 2017.

- Polling began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm.

The election for the municipal corporation of Punjab`s largest city, Ludhiana, was not being held as the electoral rolls were not updated.

The ruling Congress, main opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance are contesting the polls December 17.

It would be the first big electoral outing for all three after the assembly elections in March.

A total of 873 polling stations in the state, having 1,938 polling booths. A total of 8,000 election staff and 15,500 police personnel would perform duties at these polling stations.

A total of 413 candidates are in the fray in 85 wards of Amritsar where 769,153 voters will exercise their franchise.

In Jalandhar, 305 candidates are in the fray from 80 wards. The number of voters there is 560,261. In Patiala, election will be held in 57 wards in which 260,664 voters can exercise their franchise.

This is the first big election in the state after the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, came to power after assembly poll results in March.

The Congress won 77 out of 117 seats in the assembly. The AAP finished second with 20 seats.

Shiromani Akali Dal on Saturday accused the Congress government in the state of harassing SAD-BJP candidates.