Less than 50 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections held today amid an incident of booth capturing, a presiding officer running away with a ballot box and stray incidents of violence.

This is the lowest turnout in the rural body polls held in recent times. In 2018, 58.1 per cent voters had turned up to cast their ballot, while 63 per cent voters had cast their vote in the 2013 rural body polls.

A repoll has been ordered by the State Election Commission (SEC) at 16 booths — nine in Khasa and Varpal Kalan in the panchayat samiti, Attari, for wrong symbols being allotted to candidates; two booths at Babania village and two at Madhir village (both in Muktsar, where booth capturing was reported); one booth at Raisar Patiala village in the

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