316 to contest in Bathinda

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 12

As many as 316 candidates have been left in the fray for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the district after withdrawal by 211 and rejection of papers of 15 candidates.

Earlier, on the last date of the submission of nomination papers, total 630 candidates had filed their papers.

On the 16 Zila Parishad seats, total 40 candidates are in fray, including 16 Congress candidates, 15 SAD candidates, six AAP candidates and three independent candidates.

Twelve Congress, eight SAD, four AAP and two CPI (M) candidates had withdrawn their nomination papers while papers of three candidates, including two AAP and one independent, were rejected during scrutiny.

For the Bathinda samiti elections, 27 candidates withdraw their papers and 38 candidates have now been left in fray. At Rampura, 38 candidates were left in fray after 30 candidates withdrew their nominations.

In Bhagta, 32 candidates would be contesting the elections after 28 withdrew their nominations and papers of two candidates were rejected.

In Nathana, 39 candidates have been left in the fray after 28 nominations were withdrawn.

In Talwandi, 86 candidates would fight the elections as nomination papers of three candidates have been rejected.

In Maur, 16 candidates withdrew their nominations and papers of one candidate were rejected, leaving 38 in the fray.

In Sangat, 53 candidates would fight the polls after 31 decided to withdraw their nomination papers and papers of two candidates were rejected.

In Goniana, 25 candidates withdrew their nominations, four candidates’ papers were rejected and 38 are left in the fray. In Phul, 70 candidates are contesting the elections.

AAP state trade wing vice-president Anil Thakur said their candidates’ papers had been rejected on flimsy grounds. “We have already taken up the issue with the Election Commission. The murder of our candidate has also affected the party,” he said.

He claimed that both Congress and SAD were on back foot over the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report, due to which in fear of losing ground, the Congress was using the government machinery to influence local bodies elections in the state.

SAD leader and former Zila Parishad chairman Gurpreet Singh Maluka said, “We are getting good response from the public in the campaign and we are confident of winning these elections.”

He lashed out at the Congress government for stooping low and misusing government machinery for trying to influence these elections. 

He alleged that the police were playing in hands of Congress leaders and they were unnecessary harassing their cadre.

Maluka said, “Officials tried to reject the papers of our candidates, but we have submitted affidavits that we will go to court if our papers are rejected unnecessarily.” 

Congress leader and PPCC secretary Rajan Garg said, “We will win both Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the district as people have rejected both SAD and AAP. Now, to save their face, they are making baseless allegations that the Congress is misusing government machinery. However, the ground reality is this that they don’t have candidates to field against the Congress.”