Litmus test for Cong, SAD-BJP, & AAP

Punjab’s three main political parties — Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party (SAD-BJP), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — would undergo a litmus test on Monday in Shahkot assembly segment ahead the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

While the SAD-BJP combine would fight to retain its two-decade-long supremacy in the constituency, the ruling Congress is eyeing to go on with its winning streak since 2017 state assembly elections. AAP, unlike assembly polls, is struggling to give a tough fight to the traditional political players.

The sudden death of SAD’s five-time MLA Ajit Singh Kohar, who has been wining the seat continuously since 1997 till 2017, necessitated the bye-elections.

The ruling party Congress has fielded Hardev Singh alias Laddi Sherowali, while SAD has given ticket to Kohar's son Naib Singh Kohar, and AAP has nominated Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan.

As many as 1,72,676 voters will decide the fate of 12 candidates who are in the fray.

The Election Commission has deployed a total of 1,022 personnel of security forces including six companies of the Border Security Force in Shahkot. The voting will start at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm. Holiday has been declared for the electors of Shahkot Assembly constituency on May 28. The counting of votes will take place on May 31.

There are total 236 polling stations in the constituency, out of which, webcasting will be held at 103 stations. The election office has identified 136 places vulnerable.

The Electronic Voting Machines and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be deployed at all the polling stations while 15 percent additional EVMs and VVPAT have been kept as reserve if some malfunctioning is developed during polling, an EC official said.

The main opposition party, AAP, which faced humiliating defeat during Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll and civic polls is desperately looking for the victory.

Recently, the Congress candidate Laddi came under severe attack with opposition parties accusing him of being involved in illegal sand mining. The party had to even face embarrassment when an FIR was lodged by the then Mehatpur SHO against Laddi in illegal mining case, though Congress accused SHO of acting at the behest of SAD and AAP.

However, the SHO was replaced by the Election Commission over complaints of bias and violation of the code of conduct in filing of an FIR against Hardev Singh Laddi.

During campaigning, Akali kept its attack on the ruling Congress on the issues like illegal sand mining, molasses leakage incident, alleged removal of Sikh history from Class XII and “reneging” on polls promises.

Congress, on the other hand, charged previous Akali-BJP regime with “ruining” the state and “total lack of development” in Shahkot aAssembly constituency which was held by Akali MLA.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh even lashed out at the Akalis for misleading people on farm debt waiver issue and leaving the state in fiscal crisis.

SUKHBIR ASKS EC TO TAKE EMERGENT STEPS TO STOP DISTRIBUTION OF ILLEGAL LIQUOR

SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday asked the Election Commission to take emergent steps to stop alleged large scale distribution of illegal liquor by the Congress party in Shahkot and stop Congress goons from intimidating voters to ensure a free and fair by-poll.

“Few days after the party gave photographic evidence of unlicensed liquor bottles which were being distributed in Shahkot by the Congress party, a truck load of the same which was being taken to Shahkot constituency under escort had been seized at Baghapurana Saturday night. The liquor was the same — First Choice — which was manufactured by former Congress Minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s distillery about which a complaint had been submitted to the EC earlier,” said Sukhbir.

Accusing the police and civil administration of not doing its duty, Sukhbir said that the police was reluctant to take any action on the issue due to pressure from the Congress party, and even nothing is being done to check illegal movement of money by the Congress party.

In the end, Sukhbir urged the people to unite to teach a lesson to the “tainted” Congress candidate as well as the non-performing party for betraying each and every section of society during the last more than one year of governance.

SAD EXPRESSES TOTAL DISSATISFACTION OVER ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS

Expressing complete dissatisfaction over election arrangements made by the Election Commission of India, SAD said that if present situation is allowed to go, nobody can stop the Congress party from rigging of booths on Monday.

 Police is hand-in-glove with the ruling Congress party, said the party’s spokesman and senior vice president Daljit Singh Cheema.

He informed the state Chief Electoral Officer about “grave ground realities over phone and told him that district administration has totally surrendered itself to the ruling party pressure”.

Cheema urged the ECI to take immediate drastic measures to instill a sense of confidence among the voters without further delay. If present situation is allowed, then worst will happen tomorrow, he said.