Candidates face off outside polling booth

Tempers flared high among candidates and their supporters outside a polling booth at a school on the Manakwal road during the panchayat poll in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Three candidates contesting for the post of sarpanch and their supporters for the Preet Vihar gram panchayat had literally faced off but a clash was averted with the intervention of residents and police personnel.

Candidates levelled allegations against each other for wooing voters entering the polling booth. Allegations of casting bogus votes were also levelled during the heated arguments between the candidates but officials present there denied the accusations of bogus votes and favoritism.

Amandeep Kaur, a candidate contesting for the post of sarpanch in Preet Vihar village, alleged that supporters of other two candidates, Pardeep Kaur and Surinder Kaur, had tried to cast bogus votes. Other two candidates and their supporters were allowed to enter the polling booth while she and her supporters were not allowed to enter it. She had suspicion that her opponents had cast bogus votes. Some administration officials had also connived with the suspects and gave undue favour to them.

“We have raised the matter with officials and if required, we will also raise a formal complaint with the Election Commission. I have also informed the area MLA about the matter,” she said.

Harry, son of candidate Pardeep Kaur, while levelling counter allegations against opponent candidate Amandeep Kaur said the latter and her supporters had been asking voters to cast vote in their favour and when they objected to the same, the suspects started heated arguments with them. “Even polling agents allegedly connived with them. Later, we warned polling agents to mend their ways. All allegations levelled by candidate Amandeep Kaur against us are false and politically motivated,” he said.

It is learnt that candidates Pardeep Kaur and Amandeep Kaur had support of the rulling Aam Aadmi Party and both of them admitted that they had back-door support of the party. Pardeep Kaur’s son Harry confirmed that he was the president of the AAP’s youth wing in the Gill constituency.