SAD releases CD of MC poll ‘rigging’

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 19

Accusing the local Deputy Commissioner and SSP of allowing booth capturing and bogus polling on the directions of Congress leaders during the MC elections in December 2017, Akali leader Surjit Singh Rakhra on Monday released a CD of video footage of the “bogus polling” and “violence” in Ward 14.

It is an official footage of the elections provided by the DC office under the Right to Information to Akali candidate from Ward 14 Jaspal Singh Bittu Chatha. In the video, Chatha and many voters were shown expressing annoyance over locking the gates of rooms where votes were being cast. The video shows a lot of hue and cry over not allowing voters to cast their votes.

“The SAD has identified these bogus voters and provided their real identity cards to the Patiala DC and SSP seeking cancellation of the elections,” he said.

Rakhra informed that they had sought the video footage of other wards also and if the district administration failed to take action in this regard at the earliest, they would approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

“The SAD-BJP will raise the issue during the Vidhan Sabha session on Tuesday and the party has also given a call to gherao the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday against the injustice being met to the Punjab residents,” added Rakhra.

Chatha said he had already obtained the High Court order to get the video recording done since he already suspected this and now that he had received the video footage, it was amply clear that the district administration had left no stone unturned to facilitate the Congress.

Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said he had received the memorandum and the matter would be scrutinised.