Chandigarh, April 11 (IANS): Over 70 percent of the 1.52 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise on Saturday in the by-poll to the Dhuri assembly constituency in Punjab.

The election process was largely peaceful, election officials said.

The election was necessitated after sitting Congress legislator Arvind Khanna, who was considered close to former chief minister Amarinder Singh, resigned from the seat in January due to personal reasons.

The main contest this time is between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress. There are 12 candidates in the fray.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which had won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in the general election in May last year, did not contest the by-election. Dhuri assembly segment is part of the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat.

If the Akali Dal wins the by-poll, the party will gain a simple majority (59 seats) in the 117-member assembly.

The Akali Dal has been running an alliance government with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Punjab since 2007.