Punjab goes to poll today

From Our Special Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 11 – Over 87 lakh voters will exercise their franchise tomorrow between 7.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. in a one-day poll to elect 116 members to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

The counting of votes will start at 8 a.m. on June 14. Nearly all the results will be out by that evening.

Part VI Election series :  Punjab Assembly Elections — 1977

• Anti-Emergency wave drowns Congress
• Badal Sworn In As Chief Minister
• 15 Punjab Ministers Sworn In
• PLUMS OF OFFICE-Editorial on June 28, 1977
• Haryana, Punjab to go to polls on June 12
• Zail Singh not to contest
• Mrs. Gandhi Not to Go Campaigning
• Ignoring Of Women In Punjab List Regrettable -CHANDRA SHEKHAR
• Punjab To Have Over 9,200 Polling Stations
• Akali Bid to win over Independents
• Results on June 14
• Polling In Low Key In Punjab
• Punjab goes to poll today
• Badal Outlines Austerity Steps
• Akalis On Verge Of Absolute Majority

There are 117 seats in the House – 13 more than previously. The election in the Anandpur Sahib-Ropar constituency has been countermanded in view of the death of an Independent candidate. Mr Zail Singh, former Chief Minister, was contesting from here. There are 9,600 polling stations in the state.

The Akali-Janata-CPI (M) combing which contested and won all the 13 Lok Sabha seats three months ago, has put candidates on all the seats. The Akali Dal has fielded 69 candidates, Janata Party 40 and CPI (M) eight. The Congress has put up 96 candidates and CPI 18. The Congress is supporting Independents in Qila Raipur, Lohian and Bholath constituencies.

Nearly 430 Independents include rebels of the contesting parties. There will be straight contests in eight constituencies.

Mr Prakash Singh Badal, Union Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, who has been asked by his party to return to State politics, is involved in a straight fight with Mr Baldev Singh of the Congress in the Gidderbaha constituency. Mr Badal was returned from here in 1969 and 1972 by big margins, although he had lost here by 57 votes in 1967.

Mr Iqbal Singh, former Union Deputy Minister, is pitted against a popular Janata nominee, Mr Rup Lal Sathi, in a straight contest in the Moga constituency. Other former Ministers in the fray include Mr Umrao Singh, Mr Hans Raj Sharma, Mr Gurmail Singh, Mr Balbir Singh, Mr Santokh Singh Randhawa, Mr GS Sibia, Mr Dilbagh Singh Daleke, Mr Joginder Paul Pandey, Miss Sarla Prashar, Mr Sohan Singh Jalalusman, Mr Bal Ram and Mr Kuhsbal Behl, the former Ministers, Mrs Gurbinder Kaur Brar, Mr Yash and Mr Gurbanta Singh are not in the field although sons of Mr Brar and Mr Gurbanta Singh are Congress candidates.

The CPI has put up Mr Satya Pal Dang, leader of its group in the dissolved Vidhan Sabha, in Amritsar West. Mrs Sajida Begum, General Secretary of the Punjab Congress, is seeking re-election from Malerkotla.

In the last few days the Congress made a desperate bid to win over Harijan voters among whom there is new awareness about their rights. The electioneering has been marked by lacklustre campaigns and there has been cynicism and indifference on the part of voters because of internal contradictions amongst the contesting parties.

The caste factor was in evidence only in the choice of candidates. Communalism was by and large out except in its outer manifestations at some rural gatherings in Malwa. The rural-urban factor marked the division of seats between the Akali Dal and Janata Party. The rebels of the Akali Dal, Congress and Janata Party will split votes in some constituencies even though some of these have already retired.

A voter when asked “who will he vote for”, made his cynicism know by asking the counter-question. “Is there any difference between the main parties in the field? There are landlords in both the Akali Dal and Congress and big industrialists in the Janata Party and Congress.”

The Akali-Janata alliance still rides the wave where it has put up good candidates.