All the parties are banking on freebies to woo the electorates. AAP has promised Rs. 1,000 for all women, while the Congress has assured Rs. 1,100 per month for needy women. The SAD-BSP alliance has promised Rs. 2,000 per month to all women heads of BPL families.The youngest in the political landscape is controversial and crowd-puller candidate Sidhu Moosewala, while the eldest one is Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, 94, whose feet were touched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi owing to humility after filing his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2019.Elderly Badal, who said they have standing firm at one place for the last three generations, cast his vote at the Government Primary School at Badal village along with his son Sukhbir Badal, daughter-in-law and Bathinda MP, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and their daughter Harkirat Kaur.SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia contesting from Amritsar East against Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju told the media on Saturday of 1,304 candidates — 231 are from national parties, 250 from state, 362 from unrecognised parties, and 461 independent candidates. A total of 315 contesting candidates are with criminal antecedents.He said 24,689 polling stations and 51 auxiliary polling stations have been established at 14,684 polling station locations of which 2,013 are identified as critical and 2,952 vulnerable pockets.There would be 1,196 model polling stations and 196 women-managed stations. There will be webcasting of all stations.Raju said the total electorates comprised 444,721 of the age of 80 years or more, 138,116 voters with disabilities and 162 Covid-19 patients.A total of 348,836 electors of 18-19 years age would exercise their right of franchise for the first time, while 1608 are NRI voters.The hot seats include Amritsar (East) from where Congress state unit chief Navjot Sidhu is in the race to retain it; Patiala (Urban), the ‘royal’ bastion of Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh, whose fledgling PLC is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt); and Dhuri from where AAP’s chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann is trying his luck for the first time.
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