Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 6
Congress workers from Patti subdivision of Tarn Taran district today came to the office of the state Election Commission here claiming the returning officers for the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections had “allowed” withdrawal of 14 candidatures through forged signatures.
As many as 11 Block Samiti candidates and three Zila Parishad candidates of the Congress, whose candidature was declared withdrawn by the returning officers yesterday, claimed they had never withdrawn from the contest and their signatures had been forged to show their withdrawal.
The candidates, led by Congress general secretary Harminder Singh Gill, urged the Election Commission to take action in the matter. The commission ordered its observer S. S. Dhillon to probe the matter and submit a report along with recommendations by May 9.
Gill said the commission earlier had offered to get the complaint probed by the Tarn Taran deputy commissioner, but the complainants urged that an independent observer to look into the allegations. The Congress leader said all affected had lodged their complaints with the subdivisional magistrate as well as the deputy commissioner at Tarn Taran, but both had expressed helplessness in doing anything in the case.
The Congress has also demanded the election process in Patti subdivision be cancelled, claiming such a “fraud” had never been perpetrated before. It has also submitted
affidavits from the candidates whose nominations were declared withdrawn while urging the commission to overrule the decision of the returning officers.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also complained to the Election Commission of India claiming the Amritsar Municipal Commissioner was violating the model code of conduct in force due to the Amritsar (South) bypoll.
Party spokesperson Bir Devinder Singh said corportaion commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda was carrying out development works, including resurfacing of roads and streetlighting work, to influence voters in favour of the ruling party.
The Congress claimed that the commissioner was doing this as he had been a classmate of mayor Shawet Malik, besides being a resident of Amritsar. It also demanded transfer of the officer out of Amritsar city to ensure a fair polling.
