Repoll peaceful, turnout 65%

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, September 21

Amid tight security, repolling was held peacefully today at 53 booths in six districts, including 36 in Muktsar. The overall turnout was 65.19 per cent.

The State Election Commission (SEC) had ordered repoll at these booths in the districts of Muktsar, Bathinda, Moga, Fazilka, Amritsar and Patiala after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleged large-scale rigging and booth-capturing, even as video clips of booth-capturing and polling of bogus votes went viral on social media. The highest polling was recorded in Fazilka (79 per cent) today, followed by Moga (74 per cent). Muktsar witnessed a turnout of 65.6 per cent.

A heavy police force was deployed in all poll-bound 18 villages (nine zila parishad zones and 16 panchayat samiti zones) in Muktsar district. The roads leading to the polling stations had been sealed. People were allowed to enter the villages only after producing proof of identity. However, in some villages, some outsiders were present.

Videography was conducted inside polling booths. Bathinda zone IG MF Farooqui, Muktsar SSP Manjit Singh Dhesi and other cops visited the polling stations. The police also conducted a flag march in some villages, appealed to the candidates to keep the road open for traffic and maintain peace.

In Malout, SAD leader and ex-MLA Harpreet Singh alleged that Paramjeet Singh, SHO of Lakhewali police station, today picked up two of their polling agents around 5 am at Lakhewali and threatened others. “He (SHO) is working overtime to ensure the victory of the Congress candidate. He is behaving as if he himself is the Congress candidate. I request his superiors and the State Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections,” Harpreet said.

The SAD boycotted the poll process at Gilzewala and Babanian villages in Gidderbaha. The party had claimed that all polling booths were captured in these villages, but the election authorities permitted repoll at only one polling booth at Gilzewala. However, the SAD leadership did not boycott the repoll at Peori village. In this village, the Akali leaders alleged, “Just a few hours before the repoll, the police nabbed our panchayat samiti candidate, Swaran Singh. He was booked in a false case of booth-capturing yesterday.”

In Lambi, leaders of both the SAD and the Congress stated that nothing untoward happened. Former CM Parkash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal didn’t visit any polling station in Muktsar district today, but they kept in touch with the candidates on the phone.

Meanwhile, nearly 79 per cent voters exercised their right of franchise in the repoll held today at booth number 29 in Chack Arniwala village in Jalalabad subdivision. Out of the total 865 electorate, 691 cast votes. The election passed off peacefully. Elaborate police arrangements were made at the polling booth. Superintendent of Police (Detective), Fazilka, Mukhtiar Singh led the police contingent to guard the polling booth.

The repoll was necessitated as some miscreants tried to capture the booth, tore ballot papers and polled fake votes on the day of polling on September 19. As many as 100 persons were booked by the police.

Capt dismisses charges against SSP 

Chandigarh: Dismissing charges that the Muktsar SSP acted in a partisan way, CM Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday flayed the Akali leadership for its ‘desperate’ attempt to divert attention from its impending defeat. “The government will not allow the Akalis to terrorise the police force or the administration, which are working hard to shed their negative image built by the SAD-BJP regime in 10 years of their misrule,” he said. TNS