BATHINDA: All is set for the elections at eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state on Sunday. The polling parties left for the polling booths. The polling will be held from 8am till 4pm.
Going by a number of violent incidents in the run up to the elections during campaigning, including killing of two supporters of a candidate at Moga and an attack on the vehicle of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Jalalabad SDM office, elaborate security has been made to avoid or timely action in case of any untoward incident during polling.
All the three opposition parties of SAD, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been accusing the ruling Congress of misusing official machinery to forcibly win the elections. The leaders of these three parties separately met Punjab governor and the SEC to demand free and fair elections. The opposition parties accused the leadership of Congress of initially stopping the candidates of opposition parties from filing nomination papers. They accused that the ruling party used its influence in getting nomination papers of others to be rejected. SAD has boycotted the elections at Gidderbaha and all the 17 candidates of Congress have elected unopposed at Zira in Ferozepur.
With less than a year left to state assembly elections, these civic body elections are being seen as prelude to the final goal. The ruling Congress has fielded over 2,000 candidates on its symbol, Shiromani Akali Dal, Aam Aadmi Party and BJP too is contesting the elections but many of the BJP candidates are contesting as independent candidates for fearing backlash from farmers. The BJP had to pay heavy price for the farmer protest as most of its state level leaders and contesting candidates were stopped from campaigning at many places across the state.
According to a letter written by additional director general of police intelligence to all the commissioners of police (CP) and senior superintendents of police (SSP) has asked to sensitise the force, take all necessary steps for the proper maintenance of law and order, security arrangements in and around polling stations and to ensure that there is no violence from polling to result declaration and make sure that election process is completed peacefully.
The letter further reads as all AIGs/zonal intelligence are directed to keep strict vigil over the situation and communicate prompt information to the local administration as well as to the intelligence headquarters at Mohali.
Bathinda SSP Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said, “Elaborate security arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of elections. No one will be allowed to take law into hands. Police personnel will keep vigil eye on the law and order situation.”
SEC deputes 19,000 cops, 20,000 staffer
SEC has deputed 19,000 police personnel and 20,510 government employees on Sunday. For 2,302 municipal wards, 9,222 candidates are in the fray. SEC has set up 4,102 polling stations, out of which 1,708 stations are sensitive and 161 hyper sensitive. The voting would be conducted through 7,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs). Every voter who entered the polling station before 4pm on Sunday will have the right to vote. Counting of the votes will start at 9am on February 17. The SEC has announced February 14 and February 17 as dry days. SEC spokesperson said all arrangements for the elections have been put in place by the administration. A total of 30 IAS and PCS officers have been deputed as observers to conduct free and fair elections. The commission has also appointed IG and DIG level officers as police observers. IPS officer Mukhwinder Singh Chinna has been deputed as observer for Mohali, Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib district; IPS Surjit Singh for Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts; IPS Baljit Singh Rathore for Bathinda, Mansa and Faridkot districts; IPS Surinder Kumar Kalia for Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts; IPS Harbaz Singh for Ferozepur, Muktsar, Moga and Fazilka districts; IPS Gurinder Singh Dhillon for Patiala, Ludhiana, Barnala and Sangrur districts.