Candidates, supporters make beeline for religious events to woo Malerkotla voters

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, April 1

Irrespective of belief, caste and community of the organisers, religious functions are turning out to be great success as probable candidates of Lok Sabha elections and their supporters are marking their presence in large numbers regardless of their political allegiance.

However, candidates and senior leaders holding key positions in their respective parties refrain from consenting to be the chief guest, get felicitated or address gatherings during such events.

Government officials, including personnel of various intelligence agencies, also have to attend these functions to keep watch over apprehended violations of model code of conduct by probable candidates or their associates.

By failing to attend events being arranged by religious organisations of their respective areas, office-bearers and activists of various political parties — including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bhartiya Janta Party — are taking no chance to annoy the organisers.

Rakesh Gupta, a social activist in Ahmedgarh, acknowledged that when he and AAP Candidate GP Singh had visited AAP President and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s house in Chandigarh to handover an invitation card to a religious event recently, the CM had accepted it.

“As it was not possible for the CM to attend the function, he advised Narpat Bagrian to attend the three-day religious event being celebrated by Lakshmi Narayan Seva Dal on the occasion of completion of 25 years of their establishment,” said Gupta, maintaining that GP Singh could not attend the event as he was preoccupied with maha rally in Delhi.

Zila Parishad Member and Congress leader Prabhdeep Singh Narangwal, who is political secretary to Fatehgarh MP Amar Singh Boparai, said the MP had been attending all functions, including religious ones at localities falling under his constituency as courtesy. He also makes sure that poll code is not violated by him or his supporters.

Office-bearers and activists of Shiromani Akali Dal also had been attending religious functions. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal was no exception to the trend as he spent time to greet members of the Muslim fraternity during an Iftar party in Malerkotla.

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