Moga (Punjab), Feb 23 (IANS): Braving heavy rain Saturday morning, people lined up at various polling booths to cast their votes in the by-election for the Moga assembly seat in Punjab.

Election officials said the voting would continue till 5 p.m. Ten candidates, including four independents, are in the fray.

The main contest is between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the opposition Congress party. The Akali Dal has fielded Joginder Pal Jain against Congress candidate Vijay Kumar Sathi.

Jain had quit the assembly seat and the Congress party Dec 26 and joined the Akali Dal. He was elected from the Moga seat on the Congress ticket in the Jan 30 assembly election last year. His resignation forced a by-election.

Jain was elected as a legislator on the Congress ticket from here twice -- in 2007 and 2012.

The People's Party of Punjab (PPP), led by former finance minister Manpreet Badal, has fielded Ravinder Singh Dhaliwal in the contest, ignoring a move by the Congress leadership to put up a joint opposition candidate.