Bathinda, April 9
On the last day of filing nominations today, 28 candidates, including Jasraj Jassi from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), filed their papers. The total number of nominations has reached 48. It seemed to be a hectic day for the polling staff.

Starting from 11 am till 5:15 pm, the Returning Officer of the Bathinda constituency Kamal Kishore Yadav took all the nominations with the entire election staff and others in tow. As per rules, the RO of the constituency has to accept nominations on any one day of the filing.

The timing for filing nominations ended at 3 pm. The candidates were asked to enter a room other than that of the RO’s where their applications were taken. Due to nomination filing, the DC office located on first floor of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) remained the centre of activities.

Supporters of a large number candidates crowded around the office. Starting form morning, around seven independent candidates and five from other political parties filed their nomination papers.

An interesting candidate who has filed their nominations is former Municipal Councillor Vijay Kumar from Paras Ram Nagar, Bathinda, who is known for his antics to grab eye balls. He has filed papers as an independent candidate. He is also a candidate in all, who has the maximum police cases registered against him and court case pending in the courts.

Besides, other independent candidates include a hotelier Satish Arora from Bathinda, Billu Singh from Ramgarh Sandhuan village from Lehra Gaga in Sangrur, Dyal Chand from Dhuri area of Sangrur, Jagdeep Singh from Guru Gobind Singh Nagar Bathinda, Jaspal Singh from Samaon, Sanjeev Kumar from Pratap Nagar area of Bathinda and Sushil Kumar from Model Town Phase I.

Also, Gurmeet Singh Rangretta from Guru Gobind Singh Nagar, Bathinda, has filed papers from Punjab Labour Party, Jeet Singh from Mansa has filed papers from the CPI (ML) Red Star, Makhan Lal from Mansa has filed papers from the BSP (Ambedkar) and Suresh Kumar, a resident of Bathinda, has filed papers form General Samaj Party.

Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said that nominations will be the scrutinised on April 10 and last date for withdrawal is April 12.

Bathinda, April 9
The candidate of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) singer-turned politician Jasraj Jassi today filed his nomination at the office of the Returning Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav.

Accompanied by the party supporters, he reached the RO’s office. While filing the papers, AAP’s leader Amrit Lal Aggarwal, Jassi’s brother Arvinder Singh and his lawyer Chaitanya also accompanied him.

Jassi filed his papers at around 2.45 pm, while the nominations could be field till 3 pm. His party could not file an affidavit before the RO office available to media so details of his income, assets and others could not be assessed.

Jassi did not have a covering candidate. Party spokesperson Kultar Singh said it was policy of the AAP not to have any covering candidate. Covering candidates file papers with the main candidate so that if in any case main candidate’s papers are rejected, covering candidate can contest election.

In the case of sitting Member of Parliament from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the SAD-BJP, her brother Bikramjit Singh Majithia has filed papers as covering candidate.

Similarly, in the case of Congress candidate Manpreet Badal, his father Gurdas Badal has filed papers as covering candidate.

In a surprise, he was declared as AAP’s candidate for Bathinda seat around six days ago. However, he had applied for ticket from Anandpur Sahib seat. 

Bathinda, April 9
The general and police observer for the Lok Sabha polls joined Bathinda, here today. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed Dalip Kumar Wasinkar and K Lalnghinglova as general observers, while Nanjndaswani has been appointed as the police observer.

District Election Officer (DEO) Kamal Kishore Yadav said people from constituency can lodge their complaints related to elections to these observers.

Dalip Kumar Wasinkar will be available at his number 8427531627 and the police observer Nanjndaswani will be available at 9530840276. Both the officials will also be available on landline number 0164-2272025 and facsimile number 0164-2273025. Dalip Kumar Wasinkar and Nanjndaswani are staying at the guest house of National Fertilisers Limited (NFL).

Similarly, the general observer K Lalnghinglova is staying at the Mansa Police Lines and could be reached at mobile number 8427531546 and landline number 01652-216634.

It is pertinent to mention here that the expenditure observers, Vaibhav Jain and Sudipta Guha, have joined on April 3.

Vaibhav Jain is expenditure observer for the assembly constituencies Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Mansa, Budhlada and Sardulgarh. Whereas, Sudipta Guha is the expenditure observer for Bathinda urban, Bathinda rural, Bhucho and Lambi.

Observer Sudipta Guha is staying at the NFL and he can be reached at 8427531584 and 01642270104.

Vaibhav Jain is stationed at the Police Lines, Mansa, and can be reached at 8427531820, 0165-2232900, 232700 and facsimile at 0165232713.

Bathinda, April 9
Around 40 per cent doctors in the state have not received their ballot papers for casting votes for the Medical Council of India (MCI), whose voting ends tomorrow.

In a press conference convened here today, Dr Amrit Sethi and Dr Ajay Gupta stated that the elections for membership of the MCI are being held after a long time and that the medico community had high hopes from it. They have also written to the secretary, the Medical Council of India, expressing their displeasure over ballot paper not being received in time.

Every state has two members for the MCI of which, one is a nominated by the state government, while the second one is elected. The Punjab government has already nominated Dr BS Aulakh from the DMCH, Ludhiana. For the remaining lone post, seven doctors had fielded their names from state, including Dr Rakesh Kumar Maheshwari from Bathinda.

Dr Sethi said out of 16,000 registered voters with the Punjab Medical Council, which is conducting the elections, less than 40 per cent have received the ballot papers by ordinary post.

Bathinda, April 9
One of the brand ambassadors of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) singer-turned actor Diljit Dosanjh has never used his right to franchise. It seems that the party picked him by virtue of his popularity among youngsters and grown-ups alike because of his singing and acting prowess. The singer-actor, who features prominently in several posters promoting the party displayed across the state, confessed this during an exclusive chat with the Tribune News Service.

He was in the city to promote his upcoming Punjabi film, ‘Disco Singh’ when he was asked if he drew any inspiration from the actors and singers turning into politicians and trying their luck in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country.

“I am happy with my career choice. Singing gives me immense pleasure and I am in a comfortable place in the field of acting where I am doing the projects I feel satisfied with. I have no plans to enter the political arena ever. In fact, I have never ever voted,” he added.

When asked the reason behind the same, the 30-year-old singer-actor said, “I can’t think of any reason why I have never voted. I must have been busy with my work on the polling days, I am sure.”

As an afterthought he said. “Although I have never voted, I would want to request everyone, especially the youngsters to exercise their right to vote since this is the most important tool of bringing about a change in the country taking it towards development by choosing the right candidate.”

The artiste also added that this year, he would also vote. “Since I have been asked by so many people if I will vote.” He added that there may be a glitch which could not let his plan materialise. “I don’t know if I have a voter identification card or not. I never got it prepared myself. When I go back to home this time, I will have to check with my family members if they got one made for me,” he said.

Bathinda, April 9
The polling staff found absent from the election duties for the rehearsals will face the music. Seeking exemption from the poll duty on condition of medical exigency would require the application to be processed by a board of four doctors.

In a press release issued here today, the District Election Officer (DEO) Kamal Kishore Yadav said all the polling officials, including presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers should be present on the next rehearsal to be conducted on April 20.

Those officials who were absent for the April 6 rehearsal will have to face action as per the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

During the April 6 rehearsal, officers of the six Vidhan Sabha constituencies from Bathinda urban, Bathinda rural, Bhucho Mandi, Rampura Phul, Maur and Talwandi Sabo total 123 polling officers were found absent. These included 28 presiding officers, 32 assistant presiding officers and 63 polling officers.

Show-cause notices have been served to those who were absent. If their answers are not found satisfactory, action would be taken against them.

He dissuaded the staff from giving false excuses for seeking exemption from poll duty. The DEO office has formed a board of four doctors that will look into applications that state health as the reason for seeking exemption. Without a nod from this board, no staff will be exempted from the election duty. 

Bathinda, April 9
Several students queued up outside a room at the Bathinda bus stand today alleging that the officials responsible for making bus passes kept them waiting for several hours.

Jaskrishan Singh, a resident of Maluka village and a student of government ITI in Bathinda said, "I have been standing in the queue for more than four hours now. The officials seem oblivious of the crowd outside the room and are facilitating the people who enter the room from the other door."

Mandeep Singh, a student from Government Rajindra College, said, "I have been waiting since morning to get my bus pass made. Why don't they have a separate window for girls and others who want to pay extra money to get their passes made quickly. While we wait in queues for our turn, others enter the room from the other door. This happens everyday."

While the general manager of the PRTC at the bus stand, Rajendra Joshi, was in Patiala, it was only after several complaints by the students that the PRTC employees closed the other door. 

Bathinda, April 9
A bead (rudraksha) was removed from the windpipe of a 26-year-old woman using laparoscopy at the Health Street-Hospital.

Dr Mohit Garg, expert in respiratory diseases, said that the bead was stuck into the breathing tube of the patient. “She was breathless and sick when she reported at the hospital. She was immediately taken for bronchoscopy. Immediately after the removal of the bead, the patient was relieved of difficult breathing,” said Dr Mohit.

Dr Garg said the patient had taken ‘prashad’ from a religious place near Amritsar. “she was given a rudraksh. When she ate it, she had bout of violent cough and the bead entered into her airway causing blockade in oxygen intake,” said Dr Garg. The patient was operated upon over a period of one hour under general anaesthesia and was relieved from the blockade.

Dr Ajay Gupta, Managing Director, Health Street Hospital, said that procedure of bronchoscopic removal of foreign body was usually done at tertiary-care hospitals, which was conducted at the Health Street Hospital.

Bathinda, April 9
A newborn baby was found abandoned in Awa Basti near the Patiala railway crossing on a heap of garbage. On receiving information about an infant’s body, volunteers of the Sahara Welfare Society reached the spot along with the in-charge of the Kotwali police station.

The abandoned newborn is a boy whose naked body was found. Some passerby saw the body and informed the NGO.

President of the NGO Vijay Goyal said it was unfortunate that some couple had thrown their child in the garbage.

“Instead, the child could have been put in the cradle of the Red Cross Society so that he could have survived,” he added.

The body has been sent to the Civil Hospital where the postmortem examination will be conducted tomorrow.

The police have registered a case.