The Shiromani Akali Dal on Saturday urged the Election Commission to deploy additional paramilitary forces in Ferozepur and Bathinda constituencies, from where senior party leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal are contesting the general election.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner just a day ahead of the election, Akali Dal’s senior vice-president and spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said additional forces were required to ensure free and fair elections. He said there were 1,729 polling booths in Bathinda and central forces were deployed only on 700 booths. “Similarly, forces are deployed on few selective booths in Ferozepur while some hyper-sensitive areas are left without forces.”