All set for Punjab panchayat poll today

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29 

It will be Congress versus Congress in most of the 13,276 village gram panchayats that go to polls on Sunday. 

Though panchayat elections are not fought on party symbols, almost all candidates in fray for the posts of panch and sarpanch are backed by various parties. With the Congress cadre caught in infighting, the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party are backing the Congress rebels in a number of panchayats. 

In many constituencies of Malwa, where the contest is an all-Congress affair, the prominent leaders have beaten a hasty retreat after having failed to get the candidates to reach a consensus. 

“Whichever group wins, the victor will be a Congress worker, and our party stands to gain control over the rural bodies after 10 years,” reasoned a senior leader.

The Opposition parties have complained of nomination papers of candidates fighting against those backed by the Congress being rejected. Even after the intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, majority of candidates who had sought a review of scrutiny of papers were again declared ineligible, as suggested by reports coming from Muktsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Patiala and Sangrur, besides other districts.

Meanwhile, the polling staff requisitioned by the State Election Commission reached the 17,268 polling booths, along with the ballot papers and other equipment to ensure that the polling process would start at 8 am tomorrow. The polling will end at 4 pm and the counting will start immediately thereafter.

The State Election Commission has asked all returning officers to issue the notification of results immediately after counting of votes tomorrow itself.  

It may be mentioned that the State Election Commission has played a proactive role in the polls, with at least one Deputy Commissioner being withdrawn from poll duty and several officers pulled up and regular inquries ordered against them, after charges of their involvement in getting fake votes made or changing reservation criteria after the model of code of conduct came into place. 

DGP, Provisioning, VK Bhawra, told The Tribune that adequate arrangements have been made to maintain law and order for the polling. “We have mobilised forces from Punjab Armed Police and district police forces have been supplemented with reserve forces,” he said.   

Voters: 1,27,87,395

• Male: 66,88,245
• Female: 60,66,245 
• Third gender: 97
• 17,268 Polling booths
• 86,340 Poll staff
• 13,276 Posts of Sarpanch
• 22,801 In fray
• 4,363 Elected unopposed
• 83,831 Posts of panch
• 67,960 In fray
• 46754 Elected unopposed