Abohar, January 21
The BJP candidate Vijay Laxmi Bhadoo is facing difficulty here because of lack of support by a section of the BJP and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Bhadoo is among the few women, who have been fielded in the assembly election by the BJP.

Faced with opposition by her own BJP activists, who have queered the pitch for her, the party has suspended its five municipal councillors. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in an election rally in the town today asked the SAD activists to campaign for Bhadoo wholeheartedly and warned that disciplinary action would be taken against those who do not fall in line.

Bhadoo was given the BJP ticket against the wishes of the local party cadre and her ‘arrogance’ has further created problems for her, said a senior BJP activist of the area. However, she expressed confidence that her campaign was better than her rivals. She is closely related to the Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Some local BJP and SAD activists were supporting the rebel Shiv Lal Doda, a liquor baron, who has jumped in the fray against Bhadoo.

Doda said that he was aspirant for the BJP ticket that was denied to him. He has liquor trade in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. There was much hustle and bustle in his election office that Doda has set up in the main market. Several BJP and SAD activists were also seen chalking out the further campaign strategy there.

The Congress candidate Sunil Jhakhar, who is a sitting MLA and has represented the constituency twice, is well entrenched in the area. His father, Balram Jhakhar, has remained in the forefront in the national level politics.

Faridkot, January 21
To educate the voters, the district administration of Faridkot and the Election Commission office, have jointly decided to organise public meetings.

The Faridkot Election Office is organising the Systematic Voter Education and Electorate Participation (SVEEP) programmes by holding the public meetings in the educational institutions.

A four-minute and 52 seconds audio song tape, sung by two famous singers in a clear and lucid style, was also played in the streets of the Faridkot district today.

“The audio tape would be played at all the villages and towns of the three assembly constituencies of the Faridkot district for the next one week,” said Ravi Bhagat, the district electorate officer (DEO).

Abohar, January 21
The influx of hundreds of vehicles carrying thousands of people from the neighbouring areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi besides pelting of stones at the Chandigarh-Abohar route Mercedes bus, owned by ruling Badals, near this town prompted the state police to organise flag march involving the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel here.

While leading the march, SP Virender Singh Brar confirmed that ten per cent of the licensees had not deposited their fire weapons at the respective police stations, they have been asked to abide by the EC directions immediately.

He claimed that the administration had seized Rs 15 lakh, 6,600 grams of opium, 104 kilogrammes poppy husk, 1700 bottles of liquor and 2750 prohibited medicine tablets. The contestants in Abohar and Balluana segments have been advised to follow the EC directions in letter and spirit. Meanwhile, the EC has supplied 161 EVMs for polling at 140 booths. There will be 82 booths in the city and 58 are in the rural areas.

Forty-three booths have been identified as sensitive, 56 as super sensitive, three are disputed and three are weak booths. Each candidate has been allowed to use two rickshaws only for making announcement.

Ferozepur, January 21
The police have registered a case against unidentified persons following an altercation between the two warring groups, in which, one of the persons allegedly fire gunshots in the air.

SSP Hardyal Singh Mann said the police had received information about the incident, in which, a vehicle belonging to one marriage party was hit by another vehicle, coming from the opposite direction near village Attari, which led to an exchange of heated arguments between the two groups.

“A case has been registered and further investigation is in progress,” the SSP said.

Mann further added that certain persons have been apprehended in this connection, adding that the incident has nothing to do with the coming polls. Deputy Commissioner-cum-DEO S Karuna Raju said, “The matter is being examined by the police, following which appropriate action would be taken.” — OC

Lambi, January 21
Deputy Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal today called the PCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh as an arrogant ‘Raja’ and appealed to the voters in the Lambi assembly segment to cast their votes in favour of a man of the masses Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

During his public speeches, Sukhbir said, “The four-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is the leader, who has devoted his entire life to people while the PCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh is still living in the ages of ‘Maharajas’, making tall claims that he would cut the heads of his opponents, once he is voted to power.”

Lambasting further Sukhbir said, “It is not only Captain Amarinder Singh who is known for his insensitivities towards people, but the Congress is also anti-people in general and anti-Punjab in particular.”

The junior Badal said, “The state is at crossroads and the voters should make their choice judiciously in the context of the unprecedented impetus the economy had received during the last five years of the SAD-BJP alliance.”

Muktsar, January 21
Acting upon the directions of the Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer, the local police today registered a case against the SAD leaders for the defacement of government buildings in the Muktsar constituency.

“In violations of the orders passed by the Deputy Commissioner, the posters of the SAD candidate Kanwarjeet Singh Barkandi “Rozy” were found pasted on the government buildings. A case under Section 188 of the IPC and various Sections of the Anti Defacement Act has been registered in this regard,” police said.

Muktsar DC Arshdeep Singh said, “All the parties were directed to remove their publicity material from the government buildings and those failed to do so, action has been taken against them.”

Muktsar, January 21
Following a complaint from a Congress workers, the election authorities late last night seized 10 bicycles from an Akali leader’s house, which were allegedly brought to distribute among the poor families, at village Jasseana in the Muktsar constituency.

Dalvinderjeet Singh, Returning Officer-cum-SDM, Muktsar, said, “We had received a complaint and acting upon it 10 bicycles were seized from Jagsir Singh’s house of village Jasseana. The matter has been transferred to the police to take an appropriate action after conducting an inquiry.”

Karanbir Singh Brar, son of Congress candidate Karan Kaur Brar, said, “We had complained to the election authorities that the Akalis were distributing bicycles among the voters to lure them.”

Abohar, January 21
The city police has seized 143 cases of liquor and whisky during a raid at a godown, located on the Gaushala road here, official sources said in the evening. The godown had been lying locked for the last few weeks. It is believed that liquor and whisky had been illegally stacked there on the eve of elections.

Meanwhile, the Khuyiansarwar police have seized 519 bottles of the country made liquor, packed in 44 cartons, during a raid at village Dalmirkhera. One Sham Lal has been arrested under the Excise Act. The recovery indicated that liquor was going to play a role in the ongoing electioneering, sources said.