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Maheshinder’s cousin booked for ‘attacking’ Akalis
Minor clashes in Majha belt
Doaba witnesses peaceful polling
In Lambi, Manpreet first among Badals to cast vote
Harsimrat Badal, Sukhbir Badal and Parkash Singh Badal on their way to cast
vote. Tribune photos: Pawan Sharma
Manpreet salutes young voters
Youth power to the fore in Doaba
Unusual zeal among voters
Voters all for EC raj
Hundreds fail to vote in Moga
88% turnout in Malerkotla
Capt credits Qureishi for peaceful poll
Vehicles hired by Gill impounded
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Maheshinder’s cousin booked for ‘attacking’ Akalis
Lambi, January 30 The complainants said while they were on their way to pay obeisance at a samadh on the outskirts of the village at 2 pm, Congress activists, led by Hardeepinder Singh and Suman Dhillon, hurled abuses at them. They also made nasty caste remarks. One of the Congress activists attacked them with a sharp-edged weapon. The Lambi police has registered a case against Hardeepinder Singh Badal, Suman Dhillon, Veera Singh, Gurlal Singh, Kesar Singh and 35 other unidentified persons under various Sections of the IPC and the Sheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Lambi, said: “ A case has been registered against 40 persons, including Hardeepinder Singh.” He said Baljinder Singh had entered into a verbal duel with Dhillon outside a polling booth in the morning over the issue of “luring voters.” He said the allegations were yet to be
verified.
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Minor clashes in Majha belt
Ajnala seat saw the highest polling percentage at 80 per cent cpmpared to 76 per cent last time, followed by Gurdaspur with 78 per cent (73.52 per cent last time), Baba Bakala 79 per cent (new seat), Khadoor Sahib 78 per cent (68.21 per cent last time), Raja Sansi 77 per cent (almost same as last time), Sri Hargobindpur 76 per cent (77.23 per cent last time), Khem Karan 76 per cent (new seat), Dera Baba Nanak 75 per cent (new seat), Attari 75 per cent (65.24 per cent last time), Fatehgarh Churian 75 per cent (83.96 per cent last time), Sujanpur 74 per cent (76.75 per cent last time), Tarn Taran 74 per cent (65.69 per cent last time), Jandiala 73 per cent (69.84 per cent last time), Pathankot 72.6 per cent (73.53 per cent last time), Dinanagar 70 per cent (72.55 per cent last time), Bhoa 69.6 per cent (new seat), Qadian 68 per cent (77.52 per cent last time), Batala 67 per cent (72.67 per cent last time), Amritsar North 66 per cent (63.5 per cent last time), Amritsar Central 65 per cent (67.07 per cent last time), and Amritsar South 63 per cent (almost same as last time). The lowest polling was reported from Amritsar West at 56 per cent. In 2007 also this constituency had recorded the lowest pollest polling in Majha at 55.88 per cent. In Patti, where CM’s son-in-law and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon is hoping to make it fourth time in a row, 77 per cent polling was reported as against 74.37 per cent last time. In Majitha, where Deputy CM’s brother-in-law and Youth Akali Dal Chief Bikram Singh Majithia is pitted against Congress’ Shailenderjit Singh Shally, 75 per cent polling was recorded as compared to 72.92 per cent last time. The newly carved out Amritsar East, where BJP MP Navjot Sidhu’s wife is pitted against former Mayor Sunil Datti, 68 per cent polling was recorded. The polling began on an enthusiastic note with spirited voters queuing up outside the polling booths soon after 8 am, particularly in rural constituencies. However, in the posh areas of Amritsar, polling gained momentum around afternoon. A number of exuberant young voters said: “The rot runs deep into our system. It is time that the younger generation takes charge and ushers in change.” Women voters from all sections turned out in large numbers to vote. SKIRMISHES: Two minor clashes were reported during the day in Amritsar Central. A scuffle broke out between supporters of Congress candidate OP Soni and an Independent councillor, a BJP supporter, over a trivial issue and the two groups threw stones at one another. In the second incident, a man, whose voting right was challenged by polling agents of both the Congress and the BJP, called his supporters and created a ruckus outside a polling booth in Tunda Talab. mla booked: Sitting SAD MLA from Ajnala Amarpal Singh Bony was booked under Sections 341,342 and 34-35 IPC for allegedly manhandling a mediaperson. Amritsar SSP Surinder Pal Singh Parmar said Bony had been booked for manhandling Sukhdev Singh covering the elections with due permission of the Election Commission when the incident occurred. In Tarn Taran district, there were three minor skirmishes in Khadoor Sahib. In Sangha village, SAD and Congress workers clashed after Akali sarpanch Resham Singh objected to the Congress activists’ helping a physically challenged person to cast his vote. In the scuffle, Resham Singh’s turban fell and the two sides threw stones at one another. The poll process was disrupted for a while before SAD candidate Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Congress candidate Ramanjit Singh Sikki reached the spot and pacified their supporters. Minor clashes were also reported from Chamba Kalan and Gagarwal villages. In Ward No. 15 of Tarn Taran, councillor Sarabjit Singh was allegedly thrashed by some Congress supporters for “undue interference” in the poll process. In Nike Ghuman village, which falls in the Dera Baba Nanak segment, Congress candidate Sukhjinder Randhawa had to ask his followers to leave the moment his opponent Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah reached there with scores of supporters. In Fatehgarh Churian, there was tension at a polling booth. Instances of EVMs developing technical snags also came to light. The EVM at Booth No. 102 in Tarn Taran and at Booth No. 127 at Khadoor Sahib had to be replaced folloing a snag.
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Doaba witnesses peaceful polling
An estimated 81 per cent voters of the four constituencies of Kapurthala district — Begowal, Kapurthala, Bholath and Phagwara-had cast their vote during the last 2007 elections. Similarly, 77 per cent voters of Mukerian, Dasuya, Urmur, Hoshiarpur City, Sham Churasi and Garshankar in Hoshiarpur had excercised francise in the last elections. Verbal duals were reported at some places over fake votes or deletion of names in electoral rolls. Around 69.6 per cent voters turned out to cast their vote in Jalandhar (Central) which saw a fierce direct contest between former minister and BJP candidate Manoranjan Kalia and his Congress rival Rajinder Berry. Voters were stunned to find their names deleted from the electoral rolls at some booths. Jalandhar Cantonment, where Olympian Pargat Singh of the SAD (Badal), Jagbir Brar of the Congress and Baba Rajinder Singh Johal are locked in a triangular fight, witnessed 75 per cent polling. Here the young voters turned up in large numbers. In Nawanshahr, that saw 81 per cent polling, women voters outnumbered men. The constituency witnessed a tough triangular fight among Satinder Kaur Kariha of the SAD, Guriqbal Kaur of the Congress and Abhey Singh Sandhu of the PPP. Contrary to expectations, Bholath remained peaceful except for a minor clash between Congress candidate Sukhpal Singh Khaira and his opponents. Khaira is locked in a tough contest with former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur. Kapurthala, where SAD’s Sarbjit Makkar is fighting Congress’ Rana Gurjit Singh, saw minor squirmishes between Makkar and Rana supporters at some polling booths. Kartarpur recorded 78 per cent polling. In Hoshiarpur, 74 per cent voters cast their vote. In Dhugga and Purhiran villages, the EVMs posed some problem. Mukerian recorded 74 per polling.
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In Lambi, Manpreet first among Badals to cast vote
Badal, January 30 Manpreet Singh Badal, PPP chief, was the first from the Badal clan to cast his vote at 8.30 am.He came to the polling station driving his favourite open jeep (PB-03-U-0786). Flashing the victory sign, he said: “The PPP will win not only this seat, but a number of other seats too. It will be a sad moment to see my uncle (Parkash Singh Badal) face defeat at this stage of his life.” After Manpreet came Congress candidate Maheshinder Singh. “I have contested the elections to win. Had the Badals done something to develop the area, they could have hoped for victory.They did not even find a solution to the problem of water-logging, which is a bane of the farmers.” The trio of Parkash Singh Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal were the next to cast their vote. Exhibiting no signs of fear or anxiety, Badal said: “The parties are contesting the elections, not the brothers.” Asked as if he would congratulate his brother Gurdas if he was to turn victorious, he said: “There is no question of anyone else winning the seat but me.” Sukhbir said the SAD would win 65 seats and along with the BJP, 80 seats to form government the second time. He said the increase in the voting percentage was a good sign for the ruling alliance. His wife, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur claimed that the feud within the family “will work to the benefit of Badal Sahib (CM), as he never discriminated against Manpreet and yet he deserted him” Gurdas was the last member of the Badal clan to cast his vote at 11 am. “I can senses winds of change and like our election symbol (kite), we will fly high,” he said. He said he would surely congratulate his brother if he won. The villagers chose to keep mum about the contest, saying all would be known on March 6.
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Manpreet salutes young voters
Chandigarh, January 30 He said there was a clear indication that people wanted change. "Also, our state has a young population and youngsters coming out to vote in large numbers shows that there has been a clear disconnect between their aspirations and the state policies ", he said. "I have been very humbled by the love and affection that has come to me from Punjabis all over. I can't think of a political party formed less than a year before the poll emerging a potent third alternative in state politics. When I think, the rationale of this support, I guess it stems from the fact that for the first time, people of Punjab, found an option which they could describe their own PPP, is their political party- one which is based on their values, their feedback, their aspirations and their vision for the state", he added. "A few days back, I was interacting with my young supporters on internet, and many of them said, that they were specially coming from far off distances just to cast their votes. I can only tell them, that irrespective of the fact, that PPP gains power or not, it will never ever betray their trust", said Manpreet. "I have always believed that politicians are essentially servants of the people.Therefore, I am and shall always remain accessible to whosever wants to reach me", he said. He thanked his partymen for having worked ceaselessly as well as the candidates for being in the fray despite the odds. " The PPP will remain indebted to you. I also thank the Election Commission for ably managing this gigantic election", he said.
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Youth power to the fore in Doaba
Hoshiarpur, January 30 The beginning of the day saw brisk voting in villages like Aur, Dyal, Kang and Garcha running parallel to the Sutlej. But the moment one came across a small township like Rahon in the same area, security personnel outnumbered the voters. Not only did rural areas witnessed brisk voting, small business in village markets remained open while in the urban areas, shutters remained down and polling was low to moderate. Hundreds of people lined up to caste their votes in the historic Asron village, a few miles from the site of the Anglo-Sikh Treaty where Maharaja Ranjit Singh had met Lord William Bentick in 1831 and forced the British to halt their march further into Punjab. A majority of the youngsters do not know much about the history, but they do carry the spirit of a warrior. Manmeet, a class 12 student who came to vote for the first time, said, “I want to choose my leader and don’t want to feel sorry if I don’t vote and some other candidate gets elected”. The scene at Balraj Anglo Vedic Senior Secondary School, Balachaur, was no different. Fairly long queues of both men and women were seen dominated by first-time voters. Opinder Singh, a B.Tech student, said, “I have come to vote for the People’s Party of Punjab so that Manpreet Badal wins”. He has never met Manpreet, nor is he a member of the PPP, but he sees hope in the PPP because it is the “only party which has promised to abolish inequality in society and strip officers of unfettered powers”. By 11 am, booth number 112 in Garhshankar had polled 188 out of the 833 votes (22 per cent). “Among these, 117 are men and 88 women,” explained an official, saying women will probably come after finishing their household chores. Things actually began to get a little better around noon. Polling booth no. 151, located at Sri Guru Teg Bhadur Khalsa Senior Secondary School in the same constituency, had polled 154 of the 580 votes (26 per cent), a slight improvement. Further north on the state highway is Saila Khurd village. A fairly large habitation where the polling booth no. 46 had been classified as highly sensitive. “But all remains under control here,” said CISF in-charge of this booth. At Mahilpur Boys School, Navdeep Kaura, an MBBS student from Patiala, had come all the way to vote. She, too, voted for the first time. She was with a group of friends like Gagandeep and Puneet. They all seemed jubilant, flashing their voter cards and suggesting that they finally got to cast their votes. In reply to why they are so excited, they pointed toward a poster that read, “Your vote is your voice”. The scene was similar at the Chabbewal (reserve) constituency where polling percentage improved with the passing of the day. Swarn Singh, a 92-year-old, accompanied by his 90-year-old wife with the same name, said they did not want to miss the chance to exercise their right to vote. Around 4 pm, Government College, Ropar, was heavily armed and had big markings on three entrances - Gate 1: Garhshankar party; Gate 2: Anandpur Sahib party; and Gate 3: Ropar party.
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Unusual zeal among voters
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 30 Two weeks ago, some politicians had criticised the Election Commission for deciding to hold the elections in January when temperatures are by and large low. The candidates were unable to campaign for about a week due to the winter chill and fog.With the sun shining bright this morning, voters began to queue up in front of polling booths. In Sirhind, voters had gathered in good numbers even before the opening of the polling booths. Rajesh, a first-time voter, accompanied by his elder sistersaid said: “While I’m feeling excited e, my sister is a bit nervous.” Undeniably, the voter has become cautious with most voters determined not to give away their mind. “There is a stiff competition among candidates of main parties. We cannot say who is ahead of the rest,” said a group of youngsters at Tarkhan Majra village. Despite repeated queries, they refused to speak of the voting trend in the village. However, the enthusiasm among voters this time was unusually high. In Tohra village of the late Gurcharan Singh Tohra, groups of voters were seen supporting the Congress, PPP and SAD candidates. There was no one in Tohra’s house. Some security guards were standing guard outside. “All family members are busy in the constituency (Patiala Rural),” said a security guard. It was a rather quiet in the house which was once the centre of political activity only a few years ago. Malerkotla was the most colourful with flags of various parties flying atop most houses.
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Voters all for EC raj
Chandigarh, January 30 “It is surprising to see that the same police officials who were patronising the activity have now put a lid on it,” he says. “It’s the EC effect,” he adds. The EC effect is visible not only in the sale of intoxicants, drunken driving too has come down considerably. With the police putting up ‘nakas’ before entry and exit of all major towns and cities in Punjab, people resorted to driving carefully and obeying traffic rules, says Shobby Goyal of Patiala. The voters also feel that the little over a month of EC control over the state administration had given better governance in Punjab. “Politicians forget what the voter needs,” says Rajesh Singla of Nexgen Laminators. Rajesh feels the policy of appointing civil as well as police officials at the instance of local legislators or party leaders was against the concept of good governance. “This was proved during the last five years whereas the short EC ‘reign’ has ensured that civil and police officials at the district level remain unbiased while delivering their services,” he adds. The residents in the border belt across Patti, Khem Karan and Tarn Taran constituencies, where drug abuse is rampant, have heaved a sigh of relief over the last month. “The sharp fall in drug supply can only mean that political establishment has a role in its easy distribution,” says Vinod Kumar of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Blood donation society in Patti.
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Hundreds fail to vote in Moga
Moga, January 30 Pritam Kaur (65), wife of Gurdial Singh, having voter I-card number GXW2003473, and her son Surinder Singh (42), with I-card number GXW2008555, alleged that the local administration had intentionally deleted their names at the behest of politicians. Paramjit Kaur (36), voter I-card number GXW2008571; Pawan Kumar (28), voter I-card number GXW1078039, Jaswinder Singh (40), voter I-card number PB/12/100/327219; his wife Ravinder Kaur, voter I-card number PB/12/100/327220; Parveen Kumar, voter I-card number PB/12/100/327868 and several others who had voted in the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections had to go back home without casting their vote. Returning officer Gurpreet Singh Khaira said the administration had given enough time with prior notice to the voters to check their names in the electoral rolls. Local Congress MLA Darshan Singh Brar alleged that the local SAD leaders had colluded with the administrative authorities to delete their names.
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88% turnout in Malerkotla
Malerkotla, January 30 "We have registered a case against some Congress workers for distributing sweets (laddoos) during the polling hours. Driver of the vehicles in which sweets were kept has also been detained”, said Sonali Giri, SDM-cum-RO . She said three Congress workers were booked for roaming around in a vehicle with swords. Their vehicle had also been impounded. A vehicle of a Congress leader was also impounded last night for moving without required permission. Cross cases were registered against SAD and Congress polling agents for a scuffle inside a polling booth.
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Vehicles hired by Gill impounded
Chandigarh, January 30 CEO Kusumjit Sidhu had ordered a special vigil in the Lambi constituency following complaints of "duplicate voters" in two polling stations of Bhullarwala and Fatta Khera villages. These two stations were under the scanner of the EC throughout the day. The other three constituencies had high-profile candidates, including former DGP PS Gill from Moga as the SAD candidate, DS Guru, former Principal Secretary to CM, from Bhadaur, and ADGP Mohammad Mustafa's wife Razia Sultana, Congress candidate from
Malerkotla. Kusumjit said 60 vehicles hired by Gill were impounded by security personnel as he had not sought prior permission from the commission. "He only sought permission today," she said.
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Badal, January 30
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