Punjab Congress alleges major anomalies in voter lists

The Punjab Congress on Sunday alleged major anomalies in the voter lists that were handed over to its party candidates by returning officers in different districts.

The party said the voter lists in possession of the polling staff and AAP candidates differed from the lists given to the Congress candidates. As a result, many voters, supporting the Congress candidates, did not find mention in the voter lists in possession of the polling staff. The party leaders have reported the matter from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib and other districts.

Terming it a serious anomaly, PPCC chief Amrinder Raja Warring said the party was compiling the date and would take up the matter with the State Election Commission.

“They have gone a step ahead of their mentors in the BJP who are known for vote chori,” he said.

PPCC general secretary (organisation) Capt Sandeep Sandhu said the issue had been brought to the notice of the returning officers in Dhaka, Jagraon and other places in Ludhiana district. Due to the variation in the voter list, nearly three hours were wasted in getting the voter list certified. “The specific pattern of giving changed voter list is across many districts. It indicates strategy by the ruling party to hit Congress in its stronghold areas”, he said.

Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi reiterated his claim of bogus ballot papers being in possession of the ruling party candidates. “At least, 10 per cent extra ballot papers were got printed by the ruling party to misuse it during polling,” he claimed.

Kapurthala Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh said Form 17-C, a crucial document that records the exact number of votes polled at each polling station, was not issued to representatives of political parties and their polling agents during the elections held on December 14. He described this omission a “grave violation” of the established electoral norms. As a result, the election commission has failed to disclose the exact number of votes polled at individual polling stations.

He further claimed that the non-issuance of the form created ample scope for the manipulation of votes in favour of the ruling party.

 Low voter turnout due to AAP’s undemocratic practices: Bajwa

Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa strongly condemned the “gross administrative failures” witnessed during the elections, stating that the AAP government had reduced grassroots democracy to a deeply flawed and discouraging exercise.

Bajwa said the low voter turnout across Punjab was not accidental, but a direct consequence of what he described as Manish Sisodia’s “saam, daam, dand, bhed” model being openly replicated in the state. “When people witness pressure, manipulation, intimidation and blatant misuse of the administration, they lose faith in the sanctity of the elections. Choosing not to vote becomes a silent protest against a police-managed and compromised electoral process under the AAP government,” he said.