During the re-polling for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections at Mann village in Muktsar. (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Repolling at all 36 polling booths was held in a peaceful manner in Muktsar Friday and at one polling booth each at Faridkot, Fazilka and Bathinda and two in Ludhiana.
The poll percentage at Muktsar polling booths was 65 per cent. The family members of a block samiti candidate from SAD, Swarn Singh, said the candidate was arrested on September 20 as he was named in an FIR related to alleged booth capturing along with SAD leader Dimpy Dhillon, his brother and others. Dhillon is already in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, a SAD candidate of Giljewala village in Gidderbaha ‘boycotted’ the poll, alleging rigging at all the three polling booths in the village even as re-poll was on only at one of them. Amandeep Kaur, SAD candidate contesting block samiti elections, said, “Peaceful polling was happening on September 19, but around 1 pm, Congress workers captured all the three booths 29, 30 and 31 but poll is happening only at 30 number booth. Our leader Dimpy Dhillon who came here was taken away by police and so we have boycotted the poll process.”
A candidate of Malaut constituency of SAD was also taken into custody by police, sources said. Manjit Singh Dhessi, SSP Muktsar, who visited several polling booths, claimed that proper security arrangements were in place and no untoward incidents were reported.