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PPP, SAD in race to enlist Anna support
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Last chance to get enrolled as voter
BJP leaders panicky after Gadkari’s announcement
Brahmpura from new seat
Tota Singh’s prestige at stake
Congress ticket seekers in Delhi
Power staff to hold protest in Lambi on Jan 24
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Kin of 2 ex-CMs vie for Cong ticket
While the fortunes for the kin of Beant Singh, who was killed in a terrorist attack, have been revived somewhat with Anandpur Sahib legislator Ravneet Bittu emerging as the face of generation next, the family still has to fall back on Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh to get ticket for the other grandson, Gurkirat Singh Kotli. The family of the other former CM Harcharan Singh Brar, which has notched more political defeats than victories in the past decade, is now desperately trying to retain its family “fiefdom” of Muktsar. Of the two, Beant Singh’s family appears more favourably placed. However, even in their case, the family may get only one seat. Payal legislator and Beant Singh’s son Tej Prakash Singh has not even applied for party ticket. His sister Gurkanwal Kaur, a former minister, has applied from Jalandhar Cantonment, the seat from where she lost in the last elections. She is still in the race but with People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) defector Jagbir Singh Brar (sitting MLA from the seat), joining the Congress, she may find the going difficult. Party sources claim Kotli had bright chances of getting ticket from Khanna. He claims he had been working in Khanna ever since the family seat of Payal was reserved and that the Beant Singh’s “martyrdom” would work in his favour. Political observers said a Congress candidate may have an edge over SAD candidate from Khanna Ranjit Singh Talwandi, who was an “outsider”. Gurkirat, however, is facing stiff challenge from former PCC president Shamsher Singh Dullo, who too wants to contest from Khanna. In the Brar family’s case, things have become a bit complicated with the entry of PPP defector Kushaldeep Dhillon, a contender for Congress ticket from Faridkot. Kanwarjit “Sunny” Brar has been indisposed due to illness for quite some time and his wife Karan Brar has applied for Muktsar seat. VIP Aspirants
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PPP, SAD in race to enlist Anna support
Chandigarh, December 31 Manpreet said Abhey Singh, Bhagwant Mann and other senior party leaders had participated in Anna Hazare’s protest in Delhi a few months ago. They had also addressed Anna’s supporters there. Anna repeatedly mentions Shaheed Bhagat Singh in his speeches to motivate supporters and volunteers. Team Anna’s Prashant Bhushan said it was clear that they would campaign against the Central Government in the poll-bound states but was yet to decide as to which party they would lend support to. “A decision in this regard will be taken at a meeting at the Anna’s native village next week,” Bhushan said. “Before taking any decision, we will examine the stance of various parties vis-à-vis the Lokpal and the Lokpal Bill,” he added. The Left parties had opposed the Lokpal Bill in its existing form in the Parliament but may seek Anna’s support for the elections. In Punjab, the Left parties are part of the PPP-led Sanjha Morcha. The SAD-BJP coalition is also trying to woo Team Anna. SAD spokesman DS Cheema said the Congress-led UPA Government stood exposed on the issue of Lokpal and corruption. He said the SAD had backed Anna’s mission and senior leader SS Dhindsa had addressed a dharna staged under the leadership of Anna in Delhi a few days ago.
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Last chance to get enrolled as voter
Chandigarh, December 31 Those attaining the age of 18 years and above as on January 1, 2012, can get themselves registered as voters from January 2 to 4. In a statement issued here today, she said the total population of Punjab as per the Census 2011, is 2,77,04,236. During the period of summary revision, 7,33,832 new applications were received from new voters, of these, 7,23,424 were accepted. The total electorate strength at present is 1,74,33,332. Those eligible and whose name is not in the voter list will be entitled to get themselves enrolled as voters. They may contact their local booth level officer or the office of the electoral registration officer. Details are available on the website www.ceopunjab.nic.in The CEO said BLOs had been appointed in educational institutions as per the guidelines of the ECI to ensure the enrollment of students.
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BJP leaders panicky after Gadkari’s announcement
Chandigarh, December 31 The BJP will contest 23 of the 117 seats in alliance with the SAD. The BJP is depending on the assessment of party probables on the report of senior leaders from other states. General secretary JP Nadda, BJP's Punjab affairs incharge Shanta Kumar and co-incharge Capt Abhimanyu will also have a say. The BJP is also relying on a survey by an independent agency. The seats for which only one name has been sent for consideration of the party high command are Sujanpur (Dinesh Baboo), Mukerian (Arunesh Shakar), Dasuya (Amarjit Sahi), Hoshiarpur (Tikshan Sud), Anandpur Sahib (Madan Mohan Mittal), Rajpura (Raj Khurana), Firozepur (SS Nanu), Amirtsar North (Anil Joshi), Jalandhar West (Bhagat Chuni Lala), Jalandhar North (KD Bhandari), Ludhiana East (SP Gosain) and Ludhiana West (Rajinder Bhandari).
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Brahmpura from new seat
While Brahmpura (Naushera Pannua sitting MLA) is the SAD candidate, the Congress may field Ramanjit Singh Sikki, a wealthy farmer and businessman from Kapurthala who is the “blue-eyed boy” of former MP Rana Gurjit Singh. However, Congress leaders Pradeep Chopra and Bhupinder Singh Bittu have also been lobbying for the ticket. The profile of the new Khadoor Sahib constituency has changed much post-delimitation, with several villages from the constituencies of Naushera Pannua, Attari and Tarn Taran now falling in this segment. Promises and projects:
Brahmpura has to his credit a new 60-bed hospital at Khadoor Sahib, new grain market at Goindwal and the regional centre of Baba Farid Medical University. He also claims credit for beginning of work of the GVK thermal plant at Goindwal, power grids at Raishiana and Chohla Sahib. Vox Populi: The opposition claims that though funds had been made available to panchayats, the MLA failed to hold the sarpanches accountable. "Several village panchayats got funds in excess of Rs 80 lakh, but the grants were misused. Development that could have been brought about through these funds is missing," says an opposition leader. The residents say the constituency had been ignored by successive governments. LOOKING BACK: Brahmpura is one of those political leaders who rose through the ranks from a village sarpanch to an MLA. A four times legislator, he has lost only once by a thin margin of 142 votes to Surinder Singh Kairon. Post-delimitation, the native village of Brahmpura too has been added to Khadoor Sahib constituency.
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Tota Singh’s prestige at stake
The SAD has decided to bet on senior party leader Jathedar Tota Singh, thereby dropping three-time MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sheetal Singh. Peoples' Party of Punjab candidate Kuldip Singh Dhos and BSP nominee Gurnam Singh too matter a lot in the elections. However, all eyes would be on rebel Akali leader Sukhjeet Singh Kaka who won the SGPC election as an Independent after he was denied the party ticket. He recently joined the Congress and is said to have been promised the party ticket. Promises and projects: The ruling SAD ignored the constituency in the first four years of their rule but at the fag end of their term, the state government made Dharamkot a sub-division, which was a long pending demand of the people. Besides, the government recently showered crores of rupees on panchayats for rural development, besides laying the foundation stones of a few power grids. The Akali candidate has now promised to open a government degree college, improve the infrastructure, supply clean potable water in far-flung villages. Vox Populi: The local people here foresee a fierce battle for electoral supremacy between the SAD and the Congress. PPP candidate Kudip Dhos, who left the SAD, is likely to cut into the Akali vote bank while the BSP candidate is likely to affect the prospects of Congress nominee. LOOKING BACK: Sarwan Singh of the CPI had won the seat in the 1977 and the 1980 elections. In 1985, Gurdev Singh Gill of the Congress emerged victorious while in 1992, Baldev Singh Bhatti of the BSP was the winner. In the 1997, 2002 and 2007 elections, Sheetal Singh won the seat.
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4 Kapurthala councillors join Cong
Kapurthala: In a jolt to SAD candidate Sarabjit Singh Makkar (Adampur MLA) and PPP candidate Raghbir Singh (former minister), four councillors of the Kapurthala Municipal Council joined the Congress along with their supporters here on Sunady. These councillors are BJP leader Sham Sunder Aggarwal and three SAD leaders (who had earlier joined the PPP a few months ago) Surinder Pal Singh Khalsa, Savita Chaudhary and Harnek Singh. Four times BJP councillor Aggarwal said he decided to leave the BJP after serving it for 31 years as it had now become a “two-faced” party. Similarly, Khalsa said he and the two other SAD councillors had joined the PPP as the SAD had given a green signal to field an "outsider" (Makkar) without consulting the local leaders. "We required a solid leader and party to tackle Makkar which is why we decided to join the Congress," he added. — Dharmendra Joshi Ex-DGP violates poll code again High security in Fazilka Fazilka: In an effort to conduct free and fair polling, massive security arrangements in the district are on the anvil. "Around 14 companies of paramilitary forces have been requisitioned for deploying in sensitive and hypersensitive polling stations. Out of the four assembly segments of the district, Fazilka and Jalalabad constituencies have been identified as sensitive," said Fazilka SSP Ashok Baath. Notably, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is contesting elections from Jalalabad. As many as 64 polling stations have been identified as hypersensitive and 147 as sensitive in the district. Around 2,340 security personnel will be deployed at the total 389 polling stations having 620 polling booths. The SSP said to check smuggling of liquor, narcotics etc from the neighbouring Rajasthan and Haryana, the district police had been coordinating with the police chiefs of three adjoining districts of Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Sirsa.
— TNS Cong scouts for Jat Sikh candidate Batala: The Congress high command has been scouting for a Jat Sikh candidate from Batala assembly segment because post-delimitation nearly 80 villages from adjoining seats of Qadian and Kahnuwan have been added to the seat. Sources say earlier former Minister Ashwani Sekhri was a frontrunner for the ticket but post-delimitation, the Congress is trying to find a Jat Sikh candidate for the constituency where 60 per cent of the voters belong to the community. Prominent among the Jat Sikh candidates who have filed their papers are Dr SS Nijjar, a renowned surgeon, and Amardeep Cheema, vice-chairman of Nehru Yuva Sangathan.
— Ravi Dhaliwal
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Congress ticket seekers in Delhi
Patiala, December 31 Except for few meetings by some of the Akali Dal candidates, its work as usual in the royal city of Patiala, the home turf of former Chief Minister and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh. Since, Patiala is stronghold of Congress and presence of SAD-BJP alliance is not much here, the election campaign will gain momentum only when Congress candidates will start canvassing. According to sources in the Congress, once the tickets are announced, all of a sudden Patiala will be abuzz with the political activities. "Though there is no final decision as to when the list of candidates would be released. The first list is expected to be out by January 2 evening and the second list by the end of first week of January", said a senior Congress leader of Patiala, while speaking to The Tribune over phone from New Delhi.
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‘VIPs’ may lose security cover
Patiala, December 31 Since the district police is short of staff, these security persons could be called back by the EC to join poll-related duty. The security cover in the state has been categorised as “Z plus”, “Z”, “Y” and “X”. Officially, 33 VIPs in the state enjoy security as per these categories. However, there are numerous others who have policemen attached with them. While eight persons have the Z+ security cover, 16 have Z category, six Y category and three persons have the X category security cover. The Z+ category of security has been provided to eight heavily guarded VIPs. These are the Governor, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and SAD MLA Bikramjit Singh
Majithia. As per the instructions of the EC, the Moga police has already shifted numerous police officials deployed for VIP security. “There might be more withdrawal of security persons in the near future as the earlier list has been revised and the EC could take a decision anytime,” said a former police officer. “There is always a threat that the security officials can be misused during the elections,” a senior police officer said, adding, “Around 2,600 policemen in total means 100 officials per district which roughly means 10 persons per police station in the district are busy protecting VIPs”. Enquiries by The Tribune reveal that more than 2,500 policemen posted in various districts of Punjab are unofficially attached with various politicians who use their clout and manage to get security from the SSPs in addition to getting security from the
IRB, armed and commando battalions. Despite reminders by top officials, the policemen are never sent to their actual place of posting due to political pressure.
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Power staff to hold protest in Lambi on Jan 24
Patiala, December 31 Though, with election code of conduct in place, the state government cannot accept the demands of the employees, but still the employees said that as a mark of symbolic protest, they would hold a protest rally at Lambi. From first week till January 18, the TSU members would take out protest rallies in villages and cities of the state. Parmod Kumar, state general secretary of the TSU, said that post unbundling of the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), two power utilities, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), were entrusted with the work to frame
the service rules of the employees, afresh. Elaborating further, TSU president Sukhwant Singh Sekhon said, "The management of the power utilities is making certain changes in the service rules, which would lead to increase in workload and would be detrimental for the employees rendering technical services to both the power utilities. Also, ban on new recruitment has not been lifted." Sekhon further said that on compassionate grounds jobs were not being given to the kin of the employees, who died on duty. "The decision of the state government to recruit 5,000 unemployed linemen in power corporation is yet to see the light of day", Sekhon said, while appealing all union members to make the January 24 protest successful. Members of the power corporation management refused to comment on the matter. "Since the election code has been enforced, we do not want to make any statement", said a few officers of the power corporation management.
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Chandigarh, December 31
With the delimitation exercise eating up one of the five constituencies, Naushera Pannua, in Tarn Taran district, SAD heavyweight Ranjit Singh Brahmpura would now be testing political waters from nearby Khadoor Sahib segment.
Dharamkot is a rural-dominated assembly segment, which is now among one of those seats which is likely to bring up new faces. After the delimitation exercise, the constituency has been converted into a General Category seat. Apart from the two small townships of Dharamkot and Kot-ise-Khan, as many as 160 villages fall in this constituency.
Moga: Punjab former DGP PS Gill who has been named as SAD candidate from the Moga assembly constituency has again been caught on the wrong side of law as he violated the poll code and defacement of the property Act. On Saturday, he installed huge hoardings on several locations in the town on roadsides bearing his photographs at public as well as private buildings to extend New Year wishes to the people (see photo). On Friday, at the opening ceremony of his election office, Gill came on an Innova car bearing a red beacon atop it.
— Kulwinder Sandhu
Figures suggest that around 33 categorised VIPs and over 906 other individuals enjoy security as over 2,600 policemen are deputed to protect them in 25 police districts and UT.