70,000 security personnel deployed in Punjab for June 1 Voting

70,000 security personnel deployed in Punjab for June 1 Voting

Chandigarh: Around 70,000 security personnel, including central forces, have been deployed in the wake of polling in 13 Lok Sabha seats on June 1, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said here on Friday.

Besides, 1.20 lakh polling staff have been deployed for the voting in the state, he said. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place from 7 am till 6 pm on Saturday.

Addressing the media here, the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer said the total number of voters in Punjab is 2,14,61,739 comprising 1,12,86,726 male voters, 1,01,74,240 female voters and 773 transgender voters.

In comparison to the total number of voters during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, there was an increase of around seven lakh in number of voters, said the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer, accompanied by nodal officer and IPS officer M F Farooqui. He added 5,38,715 voters belong to the 18-19 age group, who are eligible for casting their votes for the first time.

The Punjab Chief Electoral Officer further said that a target of achieving more than 70 per cent voter turnout has been fixed for the June 1 election. Punjab had seen a voter turnout of 65.96 per cent during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which was below the national average.