Parties playing politics with ‘siropa’
Mandi Ahmedgarh, January 20
Peeved over the misuse of the practice of presenting ‘siropa’ (religious robe of honour) by leaders of almost all political parties of the state, office-bearers of local Sikh organisations have urged the chiefs of the SGPC and Akal Takht to impose restrictions so that the sanctity of the practice was maintained.

Youth queue up to receive siropas at a political function in Mandi Ahmedgarh on Thursday. — Photo by writer

Captain owns just Rs 15,000
Patiala, January 20
In an affidavit submitted to the Returning Officer, the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today declared that he possessed Rs 15,000 in cash, besides Rs 20,000 as ‘karta” of Hindu undivided family.

Nominations: Number rises to 70
Chandigarh, January 20
As many as 41 candidates filed their nominations today. With this, a total of 70 candidates have filed their papers.

POLL CHASE
His claim: His father’s Bunny
Mohali, January 20
For someone who is facing his first election, Mr Jasjit Singh Bunny is a confident campaigner.

Mr Jasjit Singh Bunny of the SAD addresses an election meeting in his constituency of Kharar. — Tribune photos by Vicky Gharu

Mrs Dullo silenced
Chandigarh, January 20
From an excited contender for re-election to a silenced wife, Harbans Kaur Dullo has resigned to her fate, at least for the moment. Till a fortnight ago, she was a firebrand MLA, confident of taking on her husband and Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Shamsher Singh Dullo in the race for ticket. “If he has staked a claim to the ticket, let us see who wins it,” she had said, adding that in no circumstances would she allow Mr Dullo to oust her from Khanna.

LEGAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
Battle from streets to courts, and back
Chandigarh, January 20
With elections round the corner, the battle of wits between Capt Amarinder Singh and Mr Parkash Singh Badal has spilled over from courtrooms to the streets. The bete noires, who have been fighting a legal battle over defamatory advertisements by the Congress against the Shiromani Akali Dal in the 2002 elections, are at it again - taking the people for a ride.

Ropar bridge may turn out to be main poll issue
Ropar, January 20
Hundreds of commuters are helpless and put their lives to risk while passing through the 125-year-old bridge over the Sirhind canal, which is the main link of Ropar city with National Highway-21 every day here. Over 50,000 people in the city, which falls in Anandpur Sahib Assembly constituency, travel on the bridge daily.

The bridge over the Sirhind canal is the main cause for concern for residents of Ropar. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

No development work in Kharar: Kanwaljit
Mohali, January 20
A former Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, has said the Kharar constituency will be developed like Banur after the formation of the SAD-BJP combine government in the state.

Lok Jan Shakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan waves to the crowd during an election rally in Patiala on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

SAD’s Kang says cops coercing voters
Amritsar, January 20
Fearing threat to the life Mr Manjinder Singh Kang, former Chairman of the Forest Corporation and SAD candidate from Beas has demanded paramilitary forces for election in the Beas Assembly constituency.

Parallel economy
PR agencies do it all for candidates
Ludhiana, January 20
Candidates doling out promises is a routine during any elections. One segment that offers promises to candidates itself is public relations agencies that are all geared up to win the race of bagging as many accounts as they can. The agencies have begun contacting contestants for various seats, directly as well as through references.

LS ticket: Dullo bats for Majha
Chandigarh, January 20
If Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), has his way, then the Amritsar Lok Sabha ticket should go to a ‘Majhail.’

Preneet Kaur harps on development
Rajpura, January 20
Assembly segments bordering Chandigarh are finally warming up to the campaigning for the Punjab elections. With the last date for the filing of nominations, January 25, drawing close, the electioneering is picking up in the areas.

Hoshiarpur: Cracks appear in BJP
Hoshiarpur, January 20
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for a majority of the constituencies it is contesting from, the unusual delay in naming the Hoshiarpur candidate has given credence to reports of severe factionalism in the party here.

BSP goes upper caste
Jalandhar, January 20
Once known for openly speaking against upper castes at its rallies, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has allocated over one-third tickets to persons belonging to these castes for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Bhattal confidant Dirba joins SAD
Sangrur, January 20
The Congress today suffered a major setback in the Dirba Assembly constituency when Mr Gurcharan Singh Dirba, a close confidant of Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, and two-time Congress MLA from Dirba, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the presence of Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, secretary-general of the party, and Mr Baldev Singh Mann, SAD candidate from the seat, at Dirba village, about 25 km from here.

Independent candidate wants to make youth drug-free
Mohali, January 20
Ashwani Kumar, an independent candidate from Kharar, was weighed in ladoos by shop owners in the Sohana market, here today. The 26-year-old candidate is a resident of village Sambhalki and is standing for elections for the first time.

Singla makes a strong case
New Delhi, January 20
The battle for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat is hotting up. With former Lok Sabha MP Jagmeet Singh Brar throwing his hat in the race, his bete noire Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla has intensified his campaign for this prestigious seat.

Deepa’s ultimatum to Cong
Sangrur, January 20
An unsuccessful aspirant for the Congress ticket from Sunam, Mr Rajinder Deepa, today announced that he would contest the Assembly elections from the seat as an Independent if the party failed to change the candidate within two days. Mr Aman Arora, younger brother of Mr Deepa's wife, Sonia Deepa Arora, is the party candidate for the seat.

Samra’s overseas fans here
Nakodar, January 20
The NRIs settled in the UK, Canada, the USA and other countries are using the telephone to garner support for Congress candidates here. Some are here campaigning for the candidates.

POLL BYTES
‘Ravana’ meets ‘Rama’ again
PATHANKOT: Mr Ashok Sharma, sitting Congress MLA from Pathankot, and his arch rival Master Mohan Lal of the Bharatiya Janata Party have always been in opposite roles.

One more files nomination
Mohali, January 20
Ms Ishwar Kaur, a resident of Phase IX here, filed her nomination papers as an independent candidate for the Punjab Assembly elections from the Kharar constituency today. She had earlier contested the municipal elections in July last year but had lost.

SAD to ask EC to look into ticket ‘sale’ by Cong
Chandigarh, January 19
Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Sukhbir Singh Badal said here today that charges about the ‘sale’ of Congress tickets under the influence of the land and liquor mafia had vindicated the SAD stance that Chief Minster Capt Amarinder Singh had led the most corrupt government in the history of Independent India.

22 more file nominations
Chandigarh, January 18
As many as 22 candidates today filed their nominations for the coming Punjab Assembly elections. With this, the total number of candidates who have filed their nomination in the first two days has gone up to 28.

Tom-Tom
IT success: Big talk, little outcome
Chandigarh, January 19
Information Technology (IT) remained Punjab Government’s buzzword in the past five years and is being projected as one of the major achievements of the Capt Amarinder Singh government. But it seems Punjab surpassed neighbouring states in rhetoric alone whereas actual performance as compared to Chandigarh remained low.

Cong riddled with dissent Revolt against Tej Parkash 31 sarpanches back Channi Jakhar on warpath

"I had put up my point of view about all prospective candidates before the high command. Background of all main aspirants, including charges of corruption, if there were any against a particular aspirant, were explained to the top leadership. The final decision to select candidates for all constituencies was taken by the high command.”

Cong candidate promises development
Rajpura, January 19
Congress candidate from Ghanaur constituency, Mr Jasjit Singh Randhawa, today intensified his election campaign by opening election offices at Bahadurgarh and Shambu.

POLL BURDEN Workers unload publicity material at the Congress Bhavan, Sector 15, Chandigarh, on Friday. — Tribune photo by Malkit Singh

One against the other in Cong
Mohali, January 19
Mrs Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, OSD to the Punjab Chief Minister, today revolted against Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, president of the Mohali district unit of the Congress, who has been given the party ticket to contest the Punjab Assembly elections from the Kharar constituency.

Atwal campaigns on foot
Phillaur, January 19
Local Congress MLA Gurbinder Singh Atwal visited his constituency on foot after the announcement of his candidature from the constituency. Mr Atwal took blessings from old women of the area, who were waiting for him outside the Sant Sadhu Ram temple.

BJP names six more
Chandigarh, January 19
The Bharatiya Janata Party tonight announced six more candidates for the Assembly elections in the state. With this, the party has announced candidates for 21 seats. Candidates for two other constituencies are still to be named.

Chhina, Chawla get tickets
Amritsar, January 19
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today fielded a Sikh candidate, Mr Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, secretary, governing body of Khalsa College, who had recently joined the party, from the Amritsar West constituency.

BJSP candidate claims support of Cong, BSP leader
Mohali, January 19
Mr Anil Kumar, who is contesting the Punjab Assembly elections as a candidate of the Bhartiya Jan Shakti Party (BJSP), claimed here today that a Congress leader and her supporters had joined his party.

Two more file papers
Patiala, January 19
Two more candidates filed their nominations for the Punjab Assembly elections, here today.

Terror attack apprehended
Chandigarh, January 19
The Special Protection Group (SPG), which has the task of protecting under-threat VIPs, including many senior politicians, today told the Election Commission officers as well as senior Punjab Government officers involved in the process of holding of coming Vidhan Sabha elections that there are too many VIPs who needed SPG cover in Punjab.

Price rise, jobs main issues
Chandigarh, January 19
Spiralling prices of essential commodities, poor education and health services, corruption in government offices, police excesses, unemployment and rural indebtedness are among the issues that the ruling Congress will have to face in the run up to Assembly elections in Punjab.

Ludhiana: Pending projects weigh on voters’ mind
Ludhiana, January 19
It could have been bridges to voters’ hearts in Ludhiana. But, several incomplete flyovers, considered a must for smooth traffic flow in any densely populated city, would weigh on the minds of the voters.

poll bounty
Encroachers have a field day
Fazilka, January 19
As electioneering gains momentum here, members of the ruling party have devised a novel way to woo the electorate. The local Municipal Council has reportedly allowed around 50 families to encroach upon a piece of prime municipal land, allegedly at the behest of the ruling party.
Encroachments coming up on Senia Road in Fazilka. The land is governed by the Municipal Council.

Ticket in kitty, they now flock to astrologers
Chandigarh, January 19
How can elections in India ever take off without the intervention of omnipresent soothsayers who claim to know it all? Punjab is no different. Despite their names having been cleared by the party high command, many candidates at the hustings for the 117 Assembly segments are doing the rounds of astrologers, vastu shastra experts, babas and oracles before launching their election campaign.

• POLL BYTES

A big Cong hand for four Big Bs
Chandigarh, January 18
In Congress, it is all within the families of top few leaders. The two lists released by the party since yesterday are full of brothers, sisters, spouses and sons of the Bhattals, Bajwas, Beants and the Brars.

Jittery Cong men to meet at palace
Efforts to blunt Kohli edge
Patiala, January 18
The local Congress leadership seems to be suffering from election eve blues. Having found itself in a jittery position following the early campaign launched by the SAD candidate, Mr Surjit Singh Kohli, the Congress, under instructions of the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and the Patiala Member of Parliament, Mrs Preneet Kaur, has called a meeting of its cadres at the New Moti Bagh palace residence of the Chief Minister here on January 21.

Ballot misuse: EC satisfied with govt reply
New Delhi, January 18
The Election Commission has expressed its satisfaction with the explanation by the officials concerned of the Punjab Government regarding a complaint apprehending the “misuse/manipulation” of postal ballots meant for the Punjab Police.

Virk issue: EC not satisfied with reply
Chandigarh, January 18
The Election Commission is not happy with the “sketchy report” sent by the Punjab Government regarding Director-General of Police, Punjab, S.S. Virk and his family getting concessions for setting up a convention centre near Chandigarh.

Women MLAs: Best figure very slim 9
Chandigarh, January 18
Talk of 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislature notwithstanding, the number of woman MLAs in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha since 1960 has never entered the double figure.

DISTRICT REPORT
Sultanpur, Bholath SAD citadels
Kapurthala, January 18
The Bholath and Sultanpur Lodhi constituencies of Kapurthala district are considered citadels of the SAD as it has won five of the last six Assembly elections since 1977 on both seats. The Congress could win on these seats only in 1992 when the SAD had boycotted the elections.

Angry ones
Cong faces rebel fury

Rebels rally behind Pinki Ferozepore, January 18 Voices of dissent have started emanating in this border district after denial of ticket to Mr Parminder Singh “Pinky”, general secretary of the PPCC. He was an aspirant for Congress ticket from the Ferozepore City Assembly constituency.

Arvind Khanna men sulking Sangrur, January 18 Cracks in the Congress came to the fore here today as almost all loyalists of Mr Arvind Khanna, MLA from Sangrur, who has been denied the party ticket from Sangrur this time, kept themselves away from the venue where the Congress candidate from Sangrur, Mr Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, alias Pammi Sibia, was received on his return from Delhi.

Slogans raised against Dullo Abohar, January 18 Hundreds of Congress workers, including sarpanches and members of gram panchayats, today gave an ultimatum to the party high command to change the candidate from the Balluana (reserved) constituency by January 22 failing which they would field an Independent.

Don’t like them? Simply reject
Ludhiana January 18
For the first time in the electoral history of India, voters in Punjab will have the option to reject candidates if they so desire. According to election officials, the Election Commission of India has introduced a provision wherein the voters can reject all candidates. This will help gauge the mood of the voter. — Alok Kumar, scholar It will be of no help.  — Mahesh Inder Singh

Rumblings in Majha too
Amritsar, January 18
The Chairman of the Improvement Trust, Tarn Taran, Prof Gurvinder Singh Mammanke, has raised a banner of revolt against the official nominee , Mr Manjit Singh Ghasitpura.

Patch-up Badal talks panel again
Hoshiarpur, January 18
Mr Parkash Singh Badal, SAD chief, today said that if voted to power, his government would constitute a separate commission on unemployment.

ME AND MYSELF
Ex-serviceman fired up
Chandigarh, January 18
Mr Tirlochan Singh Mann, a 55-year-old resident of Balongi village, is standing as an Independent from the Kharar constituency. An ex-serviceman, Mr Mann joined the Punjab Police later and retired as Assistant Sub-Inspector.




Mr Tirlochan Singh (garlanded) and his supporters in Kharar on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Vicky Gharu

For rural women, the husband decides
Chamkaur Sahib, January 18
Women in many villages of this reserved constituency have to cast vote in favour of a particular candidate chosen by their husbands in consultation with Panchayat. There are 56,069 women voters in this constituency out of a total of 1.18 lakh voters.

Bhinder faces protege
Gurdaspur, January 18
The Gurdaspur Assembly constituency has a new Congress candidate. Mr P.S. Bhinder, a former DGP and husband of the late Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, a former Member of Parliament, has been nominated as the Congress candidate from the seat.

Hangers-on back home to celebrate
Gurdaspur January 18
It was celebration time for those who have got the party ticket. Most Congress nominees who had been camping in Delhi for the past two weeks to ensure nominations today returned to their constituencies.

Parminder files papers from Kharar
Mohali, January 18
As the work of issuing notification commenced, only one candidate from Kharar constituency filed his nomination papers for the Punjab Assembly elections at the Municipal Bhawan, here today.

POLL BYTES Day 1: Six file nomination papers Chandigarh: The process of filing of nominations started in Punjab today with six candidates submitting their papers. Two nominations were filed from the Patiala constituency and one each from Assembly segments in Nawashahr, SAS Nagar, Ferozepore and Muktsar districts. No prominent candidate submitted papers.

Holy Campaign

2 file papers
Patiala, January 18
The BSP nominee for the Patiala Assembly segment, Mr Paramjit Singh, today filed his nomination papers along with an Independent candidate, Mr Vijay Kumar.

Man booked under NDPS Act launches party
Amritsar, January 18
Mr Jagtar Boxer, who was recently acquitted by the court, has decided to launch a drive against the drug abuse by launching a party-Naujwan Shakti Dal. He is the president of the party.

For Cong, old is gold
Bir Devinder, Singla kept in suspense
Chandigarh, January 17
Reposing faith in the old guard, the All-India Congress Committee named a few new faces and replaced some old warhorses with their spouses or siblings in a list of 98 candidates released tonight.

Badal to file papers on Jan 22
Chandigarh, January 17
The president of The Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, will file his nomination papers on January 22. His nephew and member of the political affairs committee Manpreet Singh Badal will also file his papers on the same date at Gidderbaha.

Parties ignore women
Chandigarh, January 17
It seems the political parties dominated by men care two hoots for women. The Left parties, the CPI and the CPM, have announced a list of 45 candidates. However, not a single women figure on the list.

Migrant muscle in Amritsar
Migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are considered an important vote bank in the border district of Amritsar. Some villages in Amritsar have entire panchayats comprising Bihari migrants. They have made Punjab their 'first home'. The sarpanches of Karnala, Dayalpur , Patalpuri, Kharaswala and Galowali are of Bihari origin. They speak chaste Punjabi and their children can write in the Gurmukhi script.

Sarna brothers may dent urban Sikh votes
Chandigarh, January 17
“Our victory in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections is only a trailer of what is going to come in the ensuing Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections,” says Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi).

Businessmen go underground
Ludhiana, January 17
Call any prominent businessman or an industrialist, chances are his cell would be switched off or he would be out of station. All due to pressure from political parties and candidates for donations. Potential financiers have started doing the vanishing act, lest they are made to part with their money.

LJP to contest 70 seats
Bathinda, January 17
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan today announced that his party would contest the Assembly elections in the state from 70 constituencies.


Lok Janshakti Party president Ramvilas Paswan at a party rally in Rama Mandi on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Kulbir Beera

Projects: Badal for panel on land rates
Chamkaur Sahib, January 17
The SAD chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today launched the campaign for SAD candidate Satwant Kaur Sandhu here. Mr Badal chose to address small gatherings instead of big rallies in this reserved constituency, which is considered an Akali stronghold. Ms Satwant Kaur has won the last two elections from this Assembly constituency.

Rebel Padiala to back Jasjit
Chamkaur Sahib, January 17
In a big relief to SAD candidate from the Kharar constituency, Mr Jasjit Singh, son of general secretary of the SAD Kanwaljit Singh, Rajbir Singh Padiala, a SAD rebel, today decided to support Jasjit. Earlier, Mr Padiala had decided to contest the elections as Independent having been denied ticket from Kharar.

BJP legislator garners support for ticket
Hoshiarpur, January 17
Though the BJP has yet to finalise its candidate for the Hoshiarpur seat, thousands of supporters of Mr Tikshan Sud, BJP MLA, assembled at his residence here today to assure him of their support. They raised slogans in his favour.

Ex-services league not to support any party
Patiala, January 17
The Indian Ex-services League, Punjab and Chandigarh, headed by Lt-Col Chanan Singh (retd), has decided in principle to support individual candidates and not any political party during the Assembly elections in Punjab unlike in the past.

GREENHORN
He banks on SAD, Cong dissension
Mr Anil Kumar of Sector 68, Mohali, is the Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party’s candidate for the Kharar constituency. Standing for elections for the first time, he campaigned for “Uma didi’ in Madhya Pradesh and is the president of the district unit of the party. A builder by profession, 26-year-old Anil is the youngest candidate from an important constituency currently represented by senior Congress leader Bir Devinder Singh in the Vidhan Sabha.


The Bharatiya Jan Shakti candidate from Kharar, Mr Anil Kumar, seeks votes in Mohali on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Vicky Gharu

Panchayat secy manhandled
Mohali, January 17
The police has booked a resident of Badali village on a charge of manhandling a panchayat secretary working as a booth-level officer in connection with the Assembly elections at Badali village.

48 pc booths in Kharar declared sensitive
Mohali, January 17
Despite there being by and large peaceful polling in the 2002 Assembly and the last Lok Sabha elections in the Kharar Assembly constituency, the police this time seems to have adopted an overcautious approach to the February 13 poll and declared around 48 per cent of the total number of booths as “sensitive” and 8 per cent as “very sensitive.”

Control room for poll set up
Mohali, January 17
In accordance with the directions of the Election Commission, the Mohali district administration has set up control rooms in all three subdivisions in connection with the Assembly elections being held next month.

It’s poll shine for them
Ludhiana, January 17
For them, election time is an opportunity to make a quick buck. Those dealing in publicity material like banners, bunting, badges, stickers, balloons and posters for candidates are working overtime these days. As the election scene hots up in the state, hundreds of outlets providing publicity-related material have come up here.
Publicity material being readied at Ludhiana. — Photo by Inderjit Verma

• poll bYTES
• Booze noose

Bhajan’s no disappoints Cong men
Abohar, January 16
Congress workers in the Balluana Reserve constituency are dismayed over the decision by the Bhajan Lal family not to campaign in favour of party candidates in Punjab.

Dharam, Hema to pitch in for BJP
Chandigarh, January 16
The “muscleman” of the Hindi cinema Dharmendra, and the “dream girl” of yesteryear, Hema Malini, will be among several star campaigners and top leaders of the BJP, who will be wooing voters in Punjab.

EC allows teachers to join service
Chandigarh, January 16
The Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Sundaram Krishna, has allowed hundreds of teachers, appointed before December 29 when the Model Code of Conduct was enforced, to join service.

poll chase Personal touch — Jr Mann’s style

Fatehgarh Sahib, January 16 Mr Emman Singh Mann, SAD (Amritsar) candidate from the Sirhind Assembly constituency, has launched his election campaign, but in a different style. A graduate from an American university, Mr Mann goes to the people alone early in the morning and attends small corner meetings. SAD (A) candidate Emman Mann holds a corner meeting with voters of his constituency. — A Tribune photograph

DSGMC FALLOUT
Bhai Ranjit Singh not to campaign
Amritsar, January 16
Virtually stung by the drubbing in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections, Bhai Ranjit Singh, former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, has decided not to campaign in the Punjab Assembly elections and the byelection to the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

The twice cursed Thousands of border farmers are facing starvation. The compensation of Rs 2,500 per acre given to them by the Central Government in 1998 has been stopped. There are no takers for such land while land prices elsewhere in the state have skyrocketed. They want their voice heard in the cacophony of electioneering, say Varinder Walia and Gurbax Puri

Parties get the dollar boost
Jalandhar, January 16
This winter is witnessing the maximum homecoming of NRIs to their native villages in Punjab. They are back not just to meet their kin, take care of their land or marry off their children, but to take part in the election process by donating funds to political parties and canvassing.

Weary voters say ‘yes’ to all
Gurdaspur, January 16
Political parties are raising the issues of development and job promises and levelling charges of corruption against each other as their main poll planks.

Poll khol
Babus vanish
Chandigarh, January 16
Even as the state gears up for the elections, senior bureaucrats in Punjab have decided to take it easy and wait for the results to pour in. What otherwise can explain the scant presence of babus in their offices located in the Punjab Civil Secretariat.

• SAD: Bhattal violating code

• Left names Bhikhi from Dirba

• In fray, come what may: Cong leader

• Ladal goes Independent

Cong delay — Advantage SAD
Chandigarh, January 14
An unwarranted delay in finalising candidates for the coming Assembly elections by the all-powerful Congress high command has been keeping the ticket aspirants unsure of themselves. The party has virtually been staying away from the electoral battle field since the announcement of the elections more than 16 days ago.