Cong has edge in elections

Elections to the gram panchayats in the border district of Tarn Taran are going to be a cakewalk for the ruling Congress as it is facing no challenge from any political party. In the zila parishad and panchayat samiti polls held in September the Congress had won more than 90 per cent of the seats in the district. The Congress is determined to repeat the same win. The Congress won nine of the total 20 zila parishad zones (seats) and the same numbers were repeated in the block samiti polls. In Patti block, 19 Congress members were declared elected unopposed in the block samiti poll in 20 zones, besides 17 of the 21 zones of block samiti Naushehra Pannuan were declared elected unopposed. The same scene was observed in Valtoha, Bhikhiwind, Gandiwnd and other block samitis.

There are 577 gram panchayats but the election will be held for 569 panchayats as formation of nagar panchayat from Sursing township is under process and the election for three villages have been postponed by the election commission.

Congress activists are taking no chance and working hard for the party in the panchayat election. Harmit Singh Sandhu, SAD leader and former MLA from Tarn Taran, Virsa Singh Valtoha, former MLA from Khem Karan, are doing hard for party win in their respective areas. The SAD is looking passive in the Patti area as its leader and former minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon is rarely seen in the area after the Vidhan Sabha election.

Besides, the Patti police had booked more than 100 SAD local-level leaders in a firing incident in the zila parishad election in September probing to be a setback for the party. Removal of senior SAD leader Ranjit Singh Brahampura from the party had also downgraded its fortunes in the Khadur Sahib area.

Activists of the AAP and the BSP are not active in the area though they have some pockets of influence in the district.

The SAD and other quarters are leveling allegations of discrimination by the administration in one or the other way. The expected candidates have started ‘distributing wine’ to win over the voters in some villages.

Congress Patti MLA Harminder Singh Gill have nominated 63 party candidates in the polls and it is expected that that all will be elected unopposed.

Residents are discussing local-level issues and holding corner meetings in villages.

Kalyan homoeo college girls bring laurels

Four students of Kalyan Homoeopathic Medical College have got the first four positions in the results of BHMS 3rd professional declared by Guru Ravi Das Ayurved University, Hoshiarpur, recently. Dr Pavittar Singh Bhullar, Director, college managing committee, said Gurpreet Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and Amandeep Kaur got the first, second, third and fourth positions respectively in the university. The students were honoured by the collage managing committee.

Contributed by gurbaxpuri