Jalandhar: Electoral fate of 26 candidates sealed

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, June 1

The fate of 26 candidates from Jalandhar was sealed in electronic voter machines (EVMs) today.

As voting process was on, all five main candidates from Jalandhar — Charanjit Channi from the Congress, Pawan Tinu from the AAP, Sushil Rinku from the BJP, MS Kaypee from the SAD and Balwinder Kumar from the BSP — went around the district to check arrangements at polling stations and boost the morale of workers. Unlike previous years, no technical glitch in any of the EVMs used in 1,951 polling booths was reported today.

Incidents of minor clashes were reported from Adampur, Goraya and Jalandhar West, but the polling process was smooth. An FIR was lodged in the Adampur incident against four persons who attacked Tajinder, Congress worker and son of former sarpanch at Mansurpur Badala village.

An FIR against unidentified persons was also lodged at the Basti Bawa Khel police station in yesterday’s incident wherein ladies suits were gifted to devotees at Panchwati Temple in Basti Guzan. BJP candidate Sushil Rinku’s wife Sunita Rinku was seen at the venue, but she denied any role in gifting.

SHO Harparkash S Cheema said the FIR had been lodged against unidentified persons on the basis of the viral video.

In Jalandhar West, Rajni Angural, who yesterday shot the video of the temple, alleged that she was today attacked by some BJP workers, but she somehow escaped unhurt. The BJP leadership denied the charges levelled by her.

As the temperature soared around afternoon, all five main candidates from Jalandhar tried to outdo one another going live on FB and showing that the booths of their respective parties were drawing more crowds while those of rival parties only had tables and chairs with no one to manage them.

The BJP drew a lot of voters from the cities, especially in localities of Jalandhar Central segment like Ali Mohalla and Gur Mandi. The rural segments had more crowd on Congress and AAP booths. The BJP had a booth in every village with several managed by a single person. At Kukad Pind, Channi ridiculed the only BJP worker saying while his booth had a strength of about 25-odd persons, he had asked the BJP’s hired man to pack up his tents and go home.

At Red Cross Bhawan booth, a paramilitary staff jawan, who had huge moustaches, became a crowd puller with several voters requesting him for a selfie. ‘Sharbat’ was offered to voters at several booths.

Unlike previous years, BSP posters outnumbered even those of other big parties. Their booths in several pockets of the city as well as in Adampur, Phillaur and Kartarpur had a lot of supporters.