Poll staff await postal ballot papers: AAP

Chandigarh, March 5

With four days left for the counting of votes, a large number of employees who were on election duty and eligible to vote through the postal ballot have failed to get their paper to cast vote. The Election Commission has set March 9 as the deadline for voting by government employees on election duty.

The AAP questioned the EC over difficulties being faced by government employees in casting their ballot. In a statement, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema alleged the EC had not provided sufficient number of postal ballot papers to government employees. Calling it “disappointing and unfortunate”, Cheema said the EC seemed to be working at the behest of the ruling parties at the Centre and in the state.

The ruling party in the state feared government employees would vote against it as thousands of workers of various departments had been protesting against the Congress, he said.

AAP MLA Aman Arora said government employees had worked day and night to facilitate voting by 2.5 crore people of Punjab, but it was unfortunate that ballot papers were not available for them to vote.

“It is everyone’s right to choose the government and it is the responsibility of the EC to protect that right,” he said. Free and fair elections were crucial and the Constitution had entrusted this responsibility to the EC, he said. —