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Cine stars draw big crowds
Chandigarh, February 11
Overcast sky and intermittent showers notwithstanding, stars from the tinsel world kept date with their respective political parties and candidates as they undertook a hurricane tour of various constituencies to “seek vote and support” for them.

• Ludhiana page: Govinda ‘dances’ to Cong tunes

Hema Malini cheers the crowds

Rainy end to election din   This party office wears a deserted look during a downpour on the last day of campaigning at Samrala on Monday.  — Tribune photo Karam Singh

‘Bars’ spring up ahead of polling
Patiala, February 11
Punjabis do not need much of an excuse to open a bottle, but the sudden chill in the weather following a drizzle and an impending dry day tomorrow has resulted in bars sprouting in constituencies of the district even as the heady stuff is being stockpiled to give a befitting finale to the election campaign.

HIGH COURT
Badal’s appointments challenged
Chandigarh, February 11
If allegations in a writ petition filed before a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court are to be believed, Punjab’s Chief Minister was allegedly involved in the appointment of at least 18 candidates, as milk procurement assistants, from Lambi and Gidderbaha constituencies.

Notices to Punjab, CBI on PUNWIRE staff plea New Delhi, February 11 The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Punjab Government and the CBI on a special leave petition against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order dismissing a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into alleged embezzlement of Rs 500 crore of Punjab Wireless Systems Ltd.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Mr Vijay Goyal, Union Minister, and Mr Sukhbir Badal at a rally in Lambi on Monday.  — Tribune photo Kulbir Beera Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra with those who left the Congress and joined the Panthic Morcha . Lehragaga Congress candidate Rajinder Kaur Bhattal addressing a rally at Anaj Mandi. — photo Ramesh Bhardwaj Voters express there preferences too!

CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Give decisive verdict, appeals Badal
Lambi/Gidderbaha, February 11
Punjab Chief Minister and President, SAD, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today urged the people to give a decisive verdict of the SAD-BJP alliance so that its people-oriented government could deliver the goods in an effective manner.

Muslim front to support Congress
Jalandhar, February 11
Accusing the SAD-BJP Government of ‘‘ignoring’’ the Muslim community during its five years of “misrule”, the Muslim National Front, Punjab, which claims to be representing about 25 lakh Muslims all over the state, has thrown its weight behind the Congress today by announcing its unconditional support to the party in the state.

Cong ropes in Haryana leaders
Zirakpur (Banur), February 11
The Congress has been inviting leaders who wield a considerable influence among their voters in neighbouring Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Sirsa districts to address rallies of the party candidates, the voters in the constituencies lying along the border with Haryana could be targeted.

FIRST-TIMER
Fighting to end quota
Bathinda, February 11
Mr Rajbir Singh Sidhu, civil engineering graduate fielded by the newly floated General Samaj Party who is pitted against two heavy weights — Congress candidate Surinder Singla and sitting MLA of the SAD-BJP combine Chiranji Lal Garg — is a candidate with a difference and he is contesting elections for the first time.

Hi-tech Cong candidate
Kapurthala, February 11
The Congress has gone hi-tech in this constituency with its candidate Rana Gurjit Singh using a network of computers, “political executives”, and exhaustive data of all the villages collected over 45 days.

Amarinder, Brar fail to turn up
Gurdaspur, February 11
More than 20,000 persons participated in an election rally at Fatehgarh Churian in favour of Mr Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the Congress candidate. Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar, MP and senior Congress leader, and Capt Amarinder Singh who had earlier given their consent to participate in the rally did not turn up.

Harcharan Brar holds big rally
Muktsar, February 11
Bad weather could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Congress supporters as they organised a mammoth rally at Chahal Marriage Palace, Malout Road, Muktsar today. Due to bad weather the venue of the rally had to be changed as earlier it was slated to be held at Nehru Chowk.

Rebels not to be reinducted: Brar
Mansa, February 11
“The Congress will come out successful with a two-thirds majority and form the next government in the state,” said Jagmeet Singh Brar, member of Parliament and Vice-President, PPCC, while talking to mediapersons here today.

‘Shagan’ cheques flout code, Congress tells EC
Abohar, February 11
The District Congress president, Mr Sajjan Kumar Jhkhar, today alleged that the ruling coalition in Punjab was still issuing cheques under different welfare schemes to influence voters.

As candidates resort to various methods like pasting of posters to woo the voters, voters of Basti Guzan locality in Jalandhar have decided to apprise the candidates about their demands too. — Photo by Inder Mohan.

Poll boycott over smoke, noise
Jalandhar, February 11
Fed up with the “failure” of politicians to shift about 100 polluting industrial units from several residential colonies of the Jalandhar (North) constituency with which about 30,000 residents have been adversely affected in the past one decade.

Candidates put up last-minute show
Bathinda, February 11
Today being the last day of the election campaign contestants held massive rallies in various Assembly segments of the district to woo voters.

Uma: Cong team without a captain
Sunam, February 11
Ms Uma Bharti, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, yesterday addressed an election rally in favour of Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa, the SAD-BJP candidate for the Sunam Assembly constituency.

POLL BRIEFS

SONIA MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE CONG MAN EXPELLED UNFAIR MEANS JD (U) MAN JOINS CONG VORA VISITS BATALA	MOBILES BANNED SITUATION TENSE DEPOSIT WEAPONS KANSHI’S CLAIM
COMMUNITY

Lower courts to remain closed on Feb 13
Chandigarh, February 11
Lower courts in Punjab will remain closed on February 13 due to general Assembly elections in the state. 

MPs’ panel to ‘visit’ border areas

ADMINISTRATION

All set for polling in Punjab
Chandigarh, February 11
Punjab is being readied for the February 13 poll. For the first time, the entire voting will be through the electronic voting machines. 

Negligent poll officials to face action: DC
Bathinda, February 11
Mr R. Venkatratnam, district election officer, today said if any official deployed on Assembly poll duties, was found negligent he would face an action from the Election Commission.

• Sale of liquor prohibited

FIR registered against Cong MLA
Bhikhiwind, February 11
Even as the main eyewitness in the sensational poll related firing, Darshan Kaur, who was also injured in the incident on February 6 remained elusive yet another FIR has been registered against a former Congress MLA and four others at Bhikhiwind police station on the complaint of the brother of the victim.

EDUCATION

Thapar staff flays govt decision
Patiala, February 11
If government can grant Rs 300 three hundred crore for Anandpur Sahib and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Memorial, why not give some grant for educational institutions?” said the president of the Employees Federation of Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology.