Padyatras mark last day of campaigning

Chandigarh, May 30

Campaigning in the city came to an end this evening with main candidates holding their respective padyatras.

As many as 19 candidates are in the fray. The main contenders are debutant BJP leader Sanjay Tandon and two-time Congress MP Manish Tewari, who had represented Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana constituencies.

With the campaigning coming to an end at 6 pm today, the UT Administration has imposed a ban on unlawful assemblies and holding of public meetings in connection with election during the 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the closure of polling at 6 pm on June 1. However, there is no restriction on door-to door campaigning.

District Magistrate Vinay Pratap Singh, exercising powers vested under Section 144 of the CrPC, has ordered that unlawful assemblies and public meetings in connection with election campaigning are prohibited in Chandigarh. Not more than five persons may assemble or move together in the area in this respect.

The order came into force from 6 pm today and will be effective up to 6 pm on June 1.

Meanwhile, the District Magistrate has asked the political functionaries, party workers, campaign managers, who are not voters here, to leave the constituency by 8 pm today. On the closure of campaign period, no such activity can take place within the constituency. Also, political functionaries, party workers, procession functionaries, campaign functionaries, etc, who have been brought from outside the constituency and are not voters of the constituency, should not be present in the constituency. “The outsiders, relatives and supporters (if they are not voters of Chandigarh) of the contesting candidates, who have come here for the purpose of campaigning, will immediately leave the city on May 30 at 8 pm,” stated Singh.

For a fair and free election, the UT Election Department will keep an eye on all polling stations on June 1 through webcasting.

To enhance transparency in the electoral process, live webcasting will be implemented at all 614 polling stations across Chandigarh. Special attention will be given to 139 vulnerable polling stations, ensuring increased vigilance and security, said Vijay Namdeorao Zade, Chief Electoral Officer, UT.

A dedicated control room has been established to oversee webcasting activities throughout the election process. This initiative will enable real-time monitoring, allowing election officials to promptly address any issue and ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.

The introduction of live webcasting at all polling stations is a significant step towards enhancing the transparency and credibility of the electoral process, he said.

The 19 candidates in the fray are Manish Tewari (Congress), Ritu Singh (BSP), Sanjay Tandon (BJP), Deepanshu Sharma (Akhil Bhartiya Parivar Party), Raj Prince Singh (Super Power India Party), Rajinder Kaur (Sainik Samaj Party), Sunil Thaman (Haryana Jan Sena Party) and Independents Kishor Kumar, Kuldip Rai, Pushpinder Singh, Partap Singh Rana, Piar Chand, Baljeet Singh, Ranpreet Singh, Ravi Kant Muni, Lakhvir Singh, Vinod Kumar, Vivek Sharma and Sunil Kumar.

Vote for the BJP will mean rewarding the murderers of democracy in Chandigarh. I am confident that the INDIA bloc will win here with a record margin. The alliance is all set to come to power at Centre. — Manish Tewari

We reached out to every segment of society and addressed their needs. Our campaigning instilled a sense of unity and solidarity among residents towards the common goal of progress and development. The BJP will emerge victorious. — Sanjay Tandon