Total chaos in Patiala as losers refuse to accept defeat

Total chaos continues to prevail in Patiala district, where several candidates allegedly backed by local leaders of the ruling AAP have refused to accept that they have lost the panchayat poll.

Many are said to be putting pressure on local election officers to conduct a recount. At the time of filing this report (11.30 pm), several villages were yet to have sarpanches declared.

The Tribune travelled to several villages in the district to witness first-hand the refusal of several candidates and their supporters to accept the result. Official sources said that in six villages in Shutrana, Sanaur, Patran and Nabha, counting and recounting of votes have been done over 15 times and still no results could be declared.

In Dulladdi, Srinagar, Kalyan, Chiccharwal and Fatehpur Rajputan villages, officials on duty had to brief the candidates many times but “the ones backed by local leaders” have refused to accept defeat. “I was thrown out of the counting centre despite being the sarpanch candidate as the officials have failed to tame the candidate being supported by the local MLA,” a candidate from Kalyan village told this reporter. In Fatehpur Rajputan village in Sanaur block, despite counting of votes almost thrice, no result could be declared till 11.30 pm. The local DSP and Tehsildar were on the spot to try and calm the candidate and his supporters, the candidate being “politically influential”.

A senior official confirmed to The Tribune that in Atalla village in Shutrana, it was at first announced that the PA of the local MLA had lost, and then within an hour or so, it was announced that he had won.

Angry village residents then reached the counting centre in large numbers and raised slogans, following which recounting was ordered. At this point, supporters of the PA raised slogans and the recounting was done again. Villagers are now threatening to sit on dharna if, they say, “the results are being managed”.

All efforts to contact Patiala Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav have been futile. She was not available for comments.