Bigwigs in big battles
Bathinda, February 6
Big shots like Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and son of former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar Harkanwarjit Singh Brar (Sunny Brar) are facing the toughest challenge in their respective segments.

Masol makes light of poll
Masol, February 6
A mere 10 km from Chandigarh on the Punjab and Haryana border exists a village where there is no water, no electricity. “We don’t want a change in government. We want to change our state,” is the refrain of every single household in Masol village, where time seems to have come to a standstill. No politician till date has bothered to get a road constructed to link this village to the outside world.

Be wary of SAD-BJP opportunism: Uma
Gurdaspur, February 6
The president of the Bharatiya Janshakti Party, Ms Uma Bharti, today termed the SAD-BJP combine an alliance of opportunism. Addressing a press conference at Pathankot, Ms Bharti said the Ram Temple was the main agenda of the BJP, but questioned whether the SAD would ever support the BJP on this issue. 


Bharatiya Janshakti Party chief Uma Bharti addresses a rally in Pathankot on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Bollywood star Om Puri and Congress candidate for the Dakala constituency Lal Singh (extreme left) at a rally at Sanour, 6km from Patiala, on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Rajesh Sachar

BSP extends support to Cong: Sidhu
Mohali, February 6
Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, Congress candidate contesting the Punjab elections from the Kharar constituency, today claimed that the senior leaders from the Mohali district unit of the BSP had extended their full support to him.

Code uncode
CEO halts grants; teachers shoot letter to EC
Chandigarh, February 6
Members of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) have alleged that the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab has violated the code of conduct in “stopping” the release of salary grant to over a 100 private aided colleges in the state.

EC team arrives today
Chandigarh, February 6
Close on the heels of the Election Commission (EC) summoning the Punjab Chief Secretary, Mr K.R. Lakhanpal, and the Director-General of Police, Mr R.S. Gill, to New Delhi for a review of the overall situation in Punjab, it is now the turn of Deputy Election Commissioner R. Bhattacharya to arrive on a two-day visit to Chandigarh tomorrow.

DFOs: Govt ‘misleading’ EC
Chandigarh, February 6
Violating the Election Commission guidelines with impunity, the Punjab government continues to post a large number of forest officials in their home districts or at stations where they have already served for over three years.

Transfers: Govt misleading poll panel
Chandigarh, February 6
Violating the Election Commission guidelines with impunity, the Punjab government continues to post a large number of forest officials in their home districts or at stations where they have already served for over three years.

Give us a chance, Mayawati asks electorate
Dera Bassi, February 6
BSP’s fight is against the oppressive "Manuvadi" system and not against any particular section of society, BSP supremo Mayawati said here today.

YOUTH SPEAK
Height of ignorance: Survey bares Generation X
For them, Bir Devinder in fray, Sidhu to be MLA!
Chandigarh, February 6
They know the names of all 12 stars in “Salaam-e-Ishq”. They know the names of players in the Indian cricket team. However, the Generation X of Punjab is certainly not interested in politics. For some Capt Kanwaljit Singh is standing for election from Kharar and for some Navjot Singh Sidhu is going to be the next MLA from Amritsar!

Ex-servicemen to support SAD-BJP
Chandigarh, February 6
Retired senior defence officers today pledged their support to the SAD-BJP alliance candidates from Banur, Kharar and Morinda constituencies.

Raj Babbar talks UP in Punjab
Jalandhar, February 6
Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar's Jan Morcha is not averse to joining hands with the Congress for ousting Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav's government in the forthcoming UP Assembly elections.


Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar at a press conference in Jalandhar on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

Dayal: Vote for candidates, not parties
Amritsar, February 6
National executive member of the CPI Joginder Dayal has urged the voters to defeat the candidates of the Congress and the SAD-BJP combine and elect true representatives close to people.

I don't lie for votes: Kang
Morinda, February 6
Congress candidate from Morinda Assembly constituency Jagmohan Singh Kang stated today that unlike other politicians he didn’t believe in lies to seek votes. Mr Kang today undertook a tour of Salamatpur, Dhodamajra, Bharojian, Rasulpur, Sainimajra, Jhampur, Manana, Thaska, Bhelolpur, Raipur and Daun villages, where he addressed meetings.

Karat: SAD, BJP promoting privatisation
Hoshiarpur, February 6
The big houses and anti-people policies of the UPA government are responsible for the skyrocketing prices of the essential commodities. This was stated by Mr Parkash Karat, secretary of the CPM, while talking to mediapersons at Garhshankar, about 40 km from here, today.

Notice to Harbhajan Singh
Jalandhar, February 6
The Election Commission is still waiting for cricket star Harbhajan Singh’s response to a notice served on him last night for “canvassing” in favour of a Congress candidate. He had allegedly canvassed for the Congress candidate from Jalandhar (Central), Mr Tejinder Bittu, despite the fact he being an employee of Indian Airlines, a public sector undertaking.

Poll bytes
Support for Cong rebel
GIDDERBAHA: Rebel Congress candidate Sant Singh Brar on Tuesday got a shot in the arm with party leader Shivkanwar Singh Sandhu declaring to support him.