Jalandhar byelection: Charges fly thick & fast over 'outsiders'

Deepkamal Kaur & Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 10

In a joint attack against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress, SAD and the BJP alleged that the ruling AAP had deployed at least seven MLAs from other seats and a host of party office-bearers for booth management and supervision of voting process for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll on Wednesday.

In the complaints that these parties have lodged with the EC officials for violation of its guidelines, they named AAP MLAs Dalbir Singh Tong of Baba Bakala, Madan Lal Bagga of Ludhiana (North), Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola of Ludhiana (East), Jasbir Singh Sandhu of Amritsar (West), Amolak Singh of Jaitu, Gurpreet Gogi (Ludhiana West) and Ajay Gupta of Amritsar (Central). BJP workers alleged that they had chased away Amritsar Improvement Trust chairman Ashok Tanwar from JP Nagar locality.

No violation

Some of our party men were present in the region, but they did not indulge in any violation of the model code of conduct. They were not there to influence voters, but due to social obligations or family reasons. —Harchand Singh Barsat, State AAP general secretary

Even as Shahkot Congress MLA Hardev Laddi Sherowalia had been using his Facebook since yesterday to claim the presence of ‘outsider’ AAP leaders in his constituency, today the leaders of all parties including Congress’ Pargat Singh, Vikramjit Chaudhary and Sukhwinder Kotli, former BJP MLA Sarabjit Makkar, and former SAD MLA Pawan Tinu used social media against the alleged ‘common enemy’.

BJP’s Sarabjit Makkar confronted MLA Daljeet Grewal Bhola in a market of Jalandhar Cantonment. However, the MLA managed to flee on a bike.

Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary too went live on Facebook confronting two Bathinda-based AAP workers at Nangal village in Phillaur. The workers, who were handed over to the police, said they had come to purchase seeds. SAD’s Pawan Tinu too shared a video alleging that AAP workers from other areas had been spotted at Hazara, Haripur, Wadhiana villages.

AAP general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat said, “Some of our men were present in the region. They were not there to influence voters, but due to social obligations. Complaints to the EC have also been made and we call for a free and fair inquiry into it.”

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#Aam Aadmi Party AAP #BJP #Congress