B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Shifting Loyalties
High voltage political drama confuses supporters
Faridkot/Muktsar/Moga, January 12
The common man in the Malwa belt, considered as the backwaters of Punjab, is confused due to the political scenario, taking frequent turns and twists with the leaders of the area overnight shifting their loyalties.

Preventive detention
Can cast vote using postal ballot paper
Faridkot, January 12
To ensure that a maximum number of voters get their right to vote during the current elections, the Election Commission wants even those in preventive detention besides all the police and security jawans deployed on the polling station duties to cast their votes using the postal ballot papers.

SAD-Cong leaders indulge in mudslinging
Bathinda, January 12
The leaders of the SAD and the Congress today indulged in mudslinging and accused each other of alluring voters through unfair means and flouting the election model code of conduct.

Kaka files nomination
Moga, January 12
The sitting SGPC member Sukhjit Singh Kaka who recently joined the Congress party filed his nomination papers from the Dharamkot assembly constituency before the office Returning Officer Ram Singh today.

RO notice to Pinki for violating norms 
Ferozepur, January 12
The Returning Officer for the Ferozepur (Urban) assembly segment, Subhash Chander today served a notice to the Congress candidate Parminder Singh Pinki for the alleged violation of the model code of conduct.

Shifting Loyalties
High voltage political drama confuses supporters
SP Sharma/Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot/Muktsar/Moga, January 12
The common man in the Malwa belt, considered as the backwaters of Punjab, is confused due to the political scenario, taking frequent turns and twists with the leaders of the area overnight shifting their loyalties.

This had begun even before the main parties including, the SAD, the Congress and the PPP allocated tickets to their candidates to contest the assembly elections.

The leaders are jumping from one party to another, leaving their supporters confused — whom to support or oppose at the elections?

Kushaldeep Dhillon, former SAD MLA from Faridkot, last year joined hands with the PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal but a few days ago, he switched his loyalty to the Congress, leaving his loyalists bewildered.

For a few days, Dhillon created an atmosphere as if he was a sure candidate of the Congress. However, his hopes were dashed to the ground when the party refused to oblige him.

Kuldip Singh Dhos, a SGPC member and a staunch Badal supporter in Dharamkot area of Moga, jumped from the SAD to the PPP, contesting assembly election from the Dharamkot seat.

Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh, two-time SGPC member switched over from the SAD to the Congress. He is a Congress candidate from the Dharamkot seat. So when the SAD has fielded Tota Singh on the Dharamkot seat, supporters of Dhos and Lohgarh are seemingly baffled in making a decision about their vote choice.

Four days after, the senior Congress leader in Gidderbaha area, Sant Singh Brar joined the SAD(B) and was fielded as the SAD candidate for the Gidderbaha seat, now the Congress is also set to equalise the Akalis.

Tomorrow, a senior SAD leader and former MLA in Muktsar Harnipal Singh Kuku is set to join the Congress in the presence of the PPCC chief Amarinder Singh.

An aspirant for the SAD ticket in Muktsar, former MLA Kuku was denied the ticket and a new face, Rozi Barkandi was announced as a party candidate.

After he was denied the ticket, Kuku today announced his decision to join the Congress.

Speaking to The Tribune, Kuku said, “The denial of ticket to me was my utter humiliation, so instead of staying in the SAD, I preferred to join the Congress.”

Kuku won the Muktsar seat in the 1997 elections. Though he is known for his close proximity to the Badal family but on Muktsar seat where the SAD had two strong contenders for the ticket — Kuku and Sukhdarashan Singh Mrar, the party decided for a third candidate — Rozi Barkandi.

In this high voltage political drama, many dissident Akali and Congress leaders have announced to contest as independents.

Preventive detention
Can cast vote using postal ballot paper
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, January 12
To ensure that a maximum number of voters get their right to vote during the current elections, the Election Commission wants even those in preventive detention besides all the police and security jawans deployed on the polling station duties to cast their votes using the postal ballot papers.

“All district police chiefs and jail superintendents have been asked to follow the directions of the Election Commission in this regard,” said Ravi Bhagat, DC-cum-DEO, Faridkot.

“The jail superintendents across the state have been asked to collect the details of those, under preventive detention, to enable them to exercise their franchise through the postal ballots in their constituencies,” said Shashi Kant, DGP, Jail Punjab.

Earlier, not only the police and security staff but a large number of polling staff on election duty were also not able to cast their votes.

Besides, the voting right for all the undertrials in the jail is a highly debatable issue. Notably, Section 62(5) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, denies the voting right to undertrials, lodged in the prison or police custody, while those accused in heinous offences are eligible to vote privided they are out on bail.

Under the RPA, an accused convicted and sentenced to less than two years is eligible to contest the elections (even from jail) and vote at an election (if out on bail) even if sentenced for 10 years, but an undertrial, accused in a minor offence, is not eligible to vote.

Shashi Kant said, “It was a long-pending demand that all the undertrials should get the right to cast vote. The Jail Department had also submitted a proposal regarding the demand to the Home Department some time back.” 

SAD-Cong leaders indulge in mudslinging
Gurdeep Singh Mann
Tribune News Service

SAD candidate Sikandar Singh Maluka (R) Cong candidate Gurpreet Kangar from Rampura holding press conferences in Bathinda on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, January 12
The leaders of the SAD and the Congress today indulged in mudslinging and accused each other of alluring voters through unfair means and flouting the election model code of conduct.

Gurpreet Kangar, a Congress candidate from Rampura and the SAD candidate Sikandar Singh Maluka organised press conferences in the city wherein they held each other responsible for last night’s incident of alleged distribution of money and the consequent skirmish at village Dialpura Bhaika near Rampura.

Kangar accused the officials of the district administration and police of rubbing shoulder with Maluka to save his supporters from the charges.

“Gunshots were fired in the presence of the DC and the SSP and the vehicle, in which, money was carried, was driven away by Maluka’s supporters. We detected currency notes in the vehicles of Maluka’s supporters but no action has been initiated in this regard,” Kangar said.

He alleged that instead of taking action against those flouting the norms, a case under Sections 336, 307, 382, 427, 148, 149 and 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against 22 Congressmen including five close supporters.

Kangar also showed the empty shells of cartridges allegedly fired by his opponents last night. Kangar was accompanied by sitting Nathana MLA and a Congress candidate from Bhucho Ajaib Singh Bhatti and Congress district president Narinder Bhaleria.

Refuting Kangar’s allegations, Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said, “Nobody ever dares to fire gunshots in the presence of the DC and SSP. I have no idea as to why Kangar is levelling such allegations even when he along with his supporters was pacified last night. We have already deployed paramilitary forces at the village on his request.”

In another press conference, the SAD candidate from Rampura, Sikandar Singh Maluka said, “My rival Gurpreet Kangar is levelling false and baseless charges against me. I am ready for an investigation in this regard by any independent agency. If proved guilty, I would not contest the elections,” Maluka added.

He denied firing of gunshots by any of his supporters. Instead, he alleged that the vehicles of the SAD supporters were broken by the Congress supporters.

It is pertinent to mention that tension gripped village Dialpura Bhaika, around 60 kilometres from Bathinda, following an exchange of heated arguments and firing of gunshots by supporters. of the two parties. Cong candidate from Rampura Gurpreet Kangar said one of his supporter sustained fracture in the scuffle.

Kaka files nomination
Kulwinder Sandhu

Moga, January 12
The sitting SGPC member Sukhjit Singh Kaka who recently joined the Congress party filed his nomination papers from the Dharamkot assembly constituency before the office Returning Officer Ram Singh today.

He has entered the electoral fray in the assembly elections for the first time and is pitted against Jathedar Tota Singh former minister and a senior leader of the SAD party looking ahead to a neck-to-neck fight. Tota Singh filed his nomination papers, yesterday.

He went along with his wife, two lawyers and 10 to 15 of his supporters to Dharamkot for filing his nomination papers. His wife filed the nomination papers as his covering candidate. Meanwhile, his opponent, Akali stalwart Jathedar Tota Singh filed his nomination papers from the Dharmakot assembly constituency on Wednesday furnishing an affidavit that a criminal case was registered against him on June 14, 2002 by the Vigilance Bureau.

The Vigilance Bureau has submitted two challans against the 70-year-old Akali leader in this case in the courts of GS Saran, Special Judge, Roop Nagar and and SK Garg, Special Judge, Mohali.

Jathedar Tota Singh was in the midst of a controversy over the selection of 100 science teachers. He was also accused of amassing property worth crores of rupees beyond his known sources of income. He was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau in 2002. 

RO notice to Pinki for violating norms 

Ferozepur, January 12
The Returning Officer for the Ferozepur (Urban) assembly segment, Subhash Chander today served a notice to the Congress candidate Parminder Singh Pinki for the alleged violation of the model code of conduct.

The notice was slapped following the media report showing currency notes being tossed in the air at the time of filing of nomination papers by Pinki. Refuting the allegations, Pinki alleged his rivals might have sent their own men to create such a mess to tarnish his image as he was in a winning position. — OC