Tarn Taran Diary: Preparations in full swing for polling day

The district administration is doing its best to make preparations for the Lok Sabha election scheduled for June 1 in the last phase of polling to provide a trouble-free atmosphere to the electors for casting their votes. District Election Officer (DEO)-cum-Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar, in a meeting with officials concerned, instructed that guidelines and set norms should be followed. The DEO informed that as summer would be at its peak during the elections, sufficient arrangement is being made at the polling stations for drinking water and shelters to seek protection from the sun. He said all polling stations have been provided with a ramp for Divyangs to help them cast their vote. There would be special toilets for Divyang voters to ensure trouble-free visits to the polling station for voting. The DEO said that sector officers have been instructed to keep the cell numbers of their subordinate staff to provide assured minimum facilities at the polling booth level. There must be toilet facilities for men and women at the polling stations, said the DEO. It has been made compulsory to mention the name of the BLO (Booth Level Officer) and his/her mobile number at the polling stations and the sector officer would keep that with him too, said the DEO. The administration has made arrangements for the stay of polling staff at the polling booths and there should be easy access to the sector officer along with the school head, village chowkidar and mid-day meal workers for better polling environment. The polling stations have been equipped with light, water, toilets and other facilities. Keeping in mind the summer, the administration has instructed to form ‘Chhabeel Committees’ at the polling stations to provide drinking water facility to the voters and others. The administration is leaving no stone unturned to make foolproof arrangements for the completion of the election process in a fair way.

Farmers not ready to relent for BJP

The administration has made attempts to persuade farmers to let BJP candidates launch their election campaign. The move by the agitating farmers not to allow the BJP candidates to enter their villages as they were fighting against the Union Government over their current demands which it was not ready to accede, has become a headache for the administration. There are reports that every day, the BJP candidate has been facing the farmers’ ire whenever he along with his convoy enters the area for his election campaign. The administration is in trouble over the situation. The SSP called a meeting of farmer unions in which representatives of as many as 20 outfits participated. The SSP tried to resolve the tangle and advised the farmers not to be unsympathetic to a particular candidate as he too has the right to launch his election campaign. The farmers told the SSP that their demands were quite genuine and they would not bend till they were accepted. The farmer unions called for loan waiver as is done with the corporate sector. The tangle has not been resolved. BJP candidate Manjit Singh Manna (Mianwind), who represented the Khadoor Sahib constituency (SC reserve) twice and Baba Bakala (reserve) once, remains in the field without a break. His main target is to convince the downtrodden sections. Meanwhile, there are certain farmer unions which exist just in name, with no following of their own. The BJP is focusing in the area on the downtrodden sections and also saying that there are certain elements that are not allowing it to launch the election campaign. The BJP candidate is working day and night to establish contacts with the weaker sections of society. (contributed by gurbaxpuri)

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Lok Sabha #Tarn Taran