Rinku, Channi, Balwinder, Kaypee file papers

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Jalandhar, May 10

With leaders from four political parties holding show of strength ahead of filing their nomination papers for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, all roads leading to the District Administrative Complex here remained completely choked for five hours from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Traffic got blocked to the extent that even a pedestrian had to struggle to pass from BMC Chowk, Ladowali Road and even BSF Chowk. Vehicles could not move an inch. Most candidates also had to step down from their vehicles, take another smaller vehicle via alleys and reach the office of District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal to file their nomination papers.

BSP candidate Balwinder Kumar and his wife and covering candidate Manjeet Kumari were the first ones to file the papers today. A large number of supporters carrying party flags and cut-outs of Balwinder accompanied them.

The biggest crowd perhaps was that of BJP candidate Sushil Rinku. Several party leaders, councillors and workers turned up in huge numbers. A vehicle carrying sound system played party songs and was used to raise slogans in his favour. Rinku stood up in an open truck along with Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat and other party leaders, including ex-minister Manoranjan Kalia, ex-CPS KD Bhandari among others. The party workers carried four separate placards with four alphabets on each reading ‘M’, ‘O’, ‘D’ and ‘I’ so as to spread across a message to the electorates to cast votes in favour of PM Narendra Modi. Sushil Rinku’s wife and ex-councillor Sunita Rinku filed her papers as the covering candidate.

The gathering at the rally site of Congress candidate and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi on adjoining Ladowali Road was almost as big. AICC observer Harish Chaudhary, ex-ministers Rana Gurjeet Singh and Avtar Henry, local MLAs Pargat Singh, Bawa Henry, Sukhwinder Kotli and Hardev Laddi and other leaders, including Rajinder Beri, Dr Navjot Dahiya, Surinder Chaudhary and Rajinder Singh, accompanied him.

Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa joined him later at the time of filing of papers. Though Channi had no covering candidate, his wife Kamaljit Kaur, sons Navjit Singh and Rhythmjit and daughter-in-law Simrandheer Kaur also came along in his support.

As Channi and his family were entering the administrative complex, the family of SAD candidate Mohinder S Kaypee was entering the gates but both did not see each other eye to eye.

Kaypee’s daughter Karishma, who is wedded to Channi’s nephew Manraj Singh, passed by Channi’s family but no greetings were exchanged. Channi, however, stopped by ex-SGPC chief Jagir Kaur accompanying Kaypee and bowed before her. Both had a brief chat too.

Meanwhile, heated arguments took place between Channi and Kaypee supporters outside the administrative complex over some media bytes related to panthic and religious agenda of the parties.