Khanpur residents elect sarpanch in absentia

Residents of nearby Khanpur village have elected Baljinder Singh, a retired superintendent from the Punjab School Education Board, as sarpanch while he was away to Pakistan on a pilgrimage.

Baljinder, who had left on a pilgrimage to gurdwaras in Pakistan after filling his nomination papers, defeated his rival Satnam Singh by a margin of 139 votes.

Majority villagers had decided that Baljinder Singh should contest for the post of sarpanch, but his wife and elder brother Joshan Singh told them they had already finalised their pilgrimage.

The villagers decided that Baljinder Singh should file the nomination papers before going on the pilgrimage.

Village youths and elders campaigned for him, but they did not distribute money, liquor, drugs or anything else to lure voters. While he was in Pakistan, Baljinder Singh got to know from the villagers that he had been elected as sarpanch.

Thanking the God and villagers, he said he would do his best for the welfare and development of the village without any bias.

Citing the example of the villagers, Deputy Commissioner Dr Sona Thind called upon people to abstain from spending extravagantly on elections.