Electioneering Comes To End

From our staff reporters

Chandigarh, February 17.

With the "day of reckoning" just two sunsets away electioneering reached its feverish pitch here this afternoon and then the atmosphere become quiet at 5 p.m. all of a sudden

Electioneering was at its peak at about 2.30 pm, when in Sector 22 there was a 20-minute "war of words" over the support of Sant Akali Dal between the Sikh supporters of Mr Krishan Raj Patla (CPI -Marxist), who claims the support of the "Sanjha Morcha", and Mr Harbans Singh Gujral (Swatantra) who enjoys the support of Master Akali Dal.

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Part IV Election series :  Punjab Assembly Elections — 1967

Read more: 

• A United Front pushes Congress to the Opposition Benches
• Polling in punjab to be over by 5 p.m. on February 19
• Front ministry won't last long, says Zail Singh
• Congress hopeful of forming government
• Gurmukh Singh Musafir Defeated
• Sant Prefers Mrs. Gandhi To Desai
• Electioneering Comes To End
• Punjab and Haryana Go To Polls
• 13 Arrested For Personation In Chandigarh
• A New Chapter
• Congress Setback In Punjab
• Final party position in Punjab Assembly
• Gurnam Singh invited to form ministry

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The Chandigarh Parliamentary Constituency has a total of 76,076 electorate.  In all 81 election booths are being set up - 65 of them in the city.  The remaining 15 booths will cater to the voters in the 17 patwar circles - comprising the rural areas of the constituency.

There are 10 candidates, of them, the only woman candidate has announced her withdrawal.  There will be non-stop polling for nine hours - from 8 am to 5 pm - on February 19.

The number of officials on duty will be 405 - five in each of the 81 booths.  About 120 of them are being kept in reserve for emergency duty.

The counting of votes will start at 9 am on February 21 and the result, it is hoped, will be declared the same evening.

The Jan Sangh today took out an impressive procession of cycles, motor-cycles, scooters rickshaws, and two-seaters through 18 sectors.  Earlier, processions were taken by the supporters of Mr Karam Chand Pardesi (Independent).

Today , a union of hotel workers claimed that its members were not committed to any candidate.  Similarly rehriwalas denied that their any wing had taken a decision to vote for the Congress.

ROHTAK:  Noisy processions and well-attended public meetings marked the end of hectic electioneering in this district today.  Before the dead-line for meetings, both the Congress and the Jan Sangh organised public meetings followed by processions here this afternoon in support of their respective candidates.

Last evening the S.S.P. and the Jan Sangh held largely-attended public meetings addressed by Mr Mani Ram Bagri and Mr K Narendra respectively.

An Independent candidate contesting from Kiloi stole the show with an impressive procession last evening, in which about 85 trucks and tractors carried his supporters through the constituency.

The Chief Minister, Mr Bhagwat Dayal, addressed no less than a dozen public meetings yesterday and today in support of ruling party candidates.  He warned the people to beware of the whispering campaign against official Congress candidates and asked the people to return the party to power.

While the State Congress thinks that the party would lose no more than a dozen Assembly and one or two Parliamentary seats, the Organising Secretary of the State Jan Sangh, Mr Krishan Lal, hopes his party would win about 25 Assembly and three or four Parliamentary seats.  The S.S.P. leaders also hope to win about a dozen Assembly and two Parliamentary seats.

Meanwhile, the authorities have taken all security steps for a peaceful poll in the district.

Our Correspondents Add:

AMBALA CANTT: The din of electioneering in Ambala died down at 5 pm today-the deadline fixed by the Election Law for campaigning by and on behalf of the contesting candidates.

The last three days of the campaigning period were utilised for intensive propaganda in the form of public meetings, processions, day and night rounds by motor vehicles, tongas, rickshaws and bicycles fitted with loudspeakers and carrying election symbols, display of posters and distribution of leaflets, and door to door canvassing by the candidates and their supporters.

AMRITSAR:  Exactly at 5 pm the din of announcements, processions and public meetings in connection with the polling starting on Sunday next for 14 Punjab Assembly seats and two Parliamentary seats ended here today.

Earlier, a big procession of street urchins,  Congress workers and some 1,000 odd women was taken out through the city in support of Mr Jai Inder Singh, Congress candidate for the Amritsar City Central Constituency.  The procession passed off peacefully.  Yesterday, a procession of 7,000 to 8,000 women was taken out in support of the Jan Sangh candidate for the same constituency, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon.

Except for a few minor incidents electioneering in this district has been peaceful.

Mr Yagya Dutt Sharma, General Secretary of All-India Jan Sangh, himself a candidate for the Amritsar parliamentary seat, addressed two big public meetings today pointing out that the country had tried the Congress for 20 years and its policies, programmes and actions had not only failed but had also proved harmful to the country's interests.  He appealed to the voters to try the Jan Sangh.  He said that the Jan Sangh was not a communal party.  It stood for Hindu-Sikh unity and favoured joint rule of all and not of any particular community.  He bitterly assailed the Congress for its lapses.

The Chief Minister, Mr Gurmukh Singh Musafir, who is contesting the Amritsar City West Constituency, addressed half a dozen meetings, describing the Congress as the only party which could deliver the goods and which had saved the country from communalism. He asserted that polling in Punjab would be peaceful and law and order would be maintained at all costs.

He told your correspondent in an interview that the Congress expected a majority in Punjab by winning about 65 to 70 seats out of 104.

LUDHIANA:  Hectic election campaigns by different political parties in Ludhiana ended at 5 this evening.

During the past 48 hours at least half a dozen big processions and deputations were taken out in the city by different candidates.  The Congress rounded off its campaign in two city Assembly Constituencies by taking out the last procession of the day.

Earlier, the Jan Sangh took out a big deputation of business men and industrialists, which headed by its Vidhan Sabha and Parliamentary candidates, approached shopkeepers in the main bazaars for support.

Mr Prem Chand Gupta, President of the Ludhiana Municipal Committee who is contesting as an Independent from the Ludhiana North Assembly constituency, took out another deputation in the city bazaars.  Earlier, yesterday a big procession of tractors, trucks and cars was taken out in support of Mr Mewa Singh Gill, the Sant Dal candidate for the Kum Kalan seat.

The Communist Party (Right) also took out a procession in support of Mr Satwant Singh, its candidate from the Kum Kalan Constituency.

All these campaigns ended peacefully.

The police has also made extensive arrangements to maintain peace throughout the district.