Candidates make last-ditch effort to increase votes

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, March 1

Anticipating a wafer-thin margin in victory and defeat, candidates of Assembly elections, in a last-ditch effort, have made an appeal to employees who were on election duty on poll day and service voters to vote in their favour.

The votes should reach the counting centres before 7 am on the counting day. The postal ballots and ETPBS were issued seven days prior to the election day and eligible voters can send these by speed post. — Ravinderpal Singh, District Revenue Officer

The election employees who had earlier been issued postal ballots can send their vote to the District Election Office before the counting begins.

Those who have posted such appeals on their social media accounts are Ganieve Kaur Majithia, SAD candidate from Majitha constituency; Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Congress candidate from Amritsar West; Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala; AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur from Amritsar East; and Amritsar South candidate Talbir Singh Gill of SAD.

Apart from them, many other candidates have also posted similar appeals on their social media accounts. The appeals are triggered by a hope that these voters have not made up their mind yet and have not posted their votes so far.

The DEO had earlier issued 5,823 postal ballot papers to the employees on election duty. Further 10,138 Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) were issued to the members of armed services and other categories.

The employees who were issued postal ballots or ETPBS can send their votes to the presiding officer of their respective constituencies, in which they are registered as voters by March 9. In constituencies with a close contest where even a few votes can decide the election outcome, has forced candidates to make such appeals to poll duty and service voters.

Though the exact number of postal ballots (votes) available with the Returning Officers of different constituencies is not known yet, it has been learnt that only a small number of total election duty and service votes have been received.

District Revenue Officer Ravinderpal Singh said: “The votes should reach the counting centres before 7 am on the counting day.” He said the postal ballots and ETPBS were issued seven days prior to the election day and eligible voters can send these by speed post.