Amritsar, May 19
The Chief Election Commission today accepted the demand of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) to deploy central forces for the Amritsar South constituency by-election on May 22.
CEC Gopalaswami said the Punjab Police would be there to maintain the law and order while the election would be held under the supervision of central forces.
According to sources the forces had been directed to reach Amritsar tonight for deployment in the areas. The PPCC has welcomed the CEC’s decision as recently held panchayati raj elections had witnessed large-scale violence and rigging. The Congress had feared the SAD-BJP combine will misuse official machinery and the police to rig the election.
