Jalandhar West bypoll: 1.71 lakh voters to decide fate of 15 candidates today
Jalandhar, July 9
The stage is set for the Jalandhar West bypoll where as many as 1.71 lakh voters will decide the fate of 15 candidates tomorrow. The main candidates in the fray include Mohinder Bhagat from AAP, Surinder Kaur from the Congress, Sheetal Angural from the BJP, Surjit Kaur from the SAD and Binder Lakha from the BSP.
The voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm at 181 polling booths. As many as 872 government employees have been deputed as polling staff. They were given EVMs and kits and were dispatched to the polling booths. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed 96 micro-observers for 51 vulnerable polling booths.
The ECI has allowed use of alternative identity card for electorates to cast their votes. Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Dr Himanshu Aggarwal said those who did not have the elector’s photo identity card (EPIC) could exercise their franchise using alternative documents such as Aadhaar card, passport, driving licence or service ID cards (with photograph) issued by Central or state governments or public sector undertakings and public limited companies, smart card issued by RGI under NPR, and official ID cards issued to MPs, MLAs and MLCs.
Main candidates in fray
The main candidates in the fray are Mohinder Bhagat from AAP, Surinder Kaur from the Congress, Sheetal Angural from the BJP, Surjit Kaur from the SAD and Binder Lakha from the BSP.
Voting begins at 7 am
- Voting to be held from 7 am to 6 pm at 181 polling booths
- As many as 872 government employees deputed as polling staff
- ECI allows use of alternative identity card for electorates to cast their votes
- Voters can receive updates on queue status by sending a message, “vote”, on WhatsApp number +917447447217
He said bank or post office passbooks with photographs, PAN card, MGNREGA job card, health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour, pension documents with photographs could be used as identity proof. Any of the above mentioned ID proofs could be used along with voter information slip to cast the vote.
Dr Aggarwal also announced a unique initiative launched by the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, to assist voters in checking queue status outside polling booths. This innovative step aims at providing real-time information about crowd conditions at polling stations, allowing voters to plan their visit more efficiently.
He said voters could receive updates on queue status by sending a message, “vote”, on WhatsApp number +917447447217. It will inform voters about the number of people currently queued outside specific booths, helping them avoid long waits and making their voting experience more convenient.
The DEO emphasised that this move was part of the district administration’s commitment to conducting free, fair and transparent elections. Dr Aggarwal urged all voters to take advantage of this service and participate in the electoral process in a large number.
AAP failed to act against its ‘corrupt’ MLA: Bajwa
Jalandhar: Following Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement that Jalandhar West will get an honest MLA, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday asked why the AAP-led Punjab Government failed to take action against its previous AAP MLA, if he was not honest. Bajwa said the Punjab CM had been telling the voters of Jalandhar West that a corrupt person had resigned, and now this Assembly seat would get an honest MLA. He pointed towards former AAP MLA and BJP candidate Sheetal Angural, who had left AAP to join the BJP and resigned as an MLA. “Can the Punjab CM bother to explain why no action was taken against the same corrupt MLA when he was still part of his government? The AAP government saved him for more than two years just because he belonged to the AAP,” Bajwa said. A senior Congress leader, Bajwa said the AAP Government claim to have been a staunch honest party, yet failed to take action against those ministers, MLAs and other party leaders, whose names cropped up for corrupt and immoral activities.
