Cong protests rejection of candidates’ papers in Amritsar, Tarn Taran

Sunday, 15/02/2015

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FIVE SAD CANDIDATES SET TO BE DECLARED ELECTED UNOPPOSED IN PATTI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS

AMRITSAR: The Congress on Saturday protested over the rejection of the nomination papers of some of its candidates at Patti and Bhikiwind in Tarn Taran district and Ajnala in Amritsar.

The rejection have ensured the unopposed election of five Akali candidates at Patti, with the administration refusing to take any notice of the Congress protests. Official reports said following scrutiny, 378 candidates were left in the fray for elections to the municipal councils of Ajnala, Majitha, Rayya, Jandiala and Ramdass in Amritsar district.

In Tarn Taran district, 249 candidates are left for two MCs of Tarn Taran and Patti and the Bhikiwind nagar panchayat. At Patti, Punjab Congress general secretary Harminder Singh Gill lodged a protest with ADC (general) and officiating subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Bhagwant Singh over the rejection of nominations of Congress candidates from wards 1,5, 8, 12 and 13. Barring ward 8, which is reserved for Backward Classes (BC), the other four seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.

“We will go to court if justice is not done. The papers were rejected due to pressure from the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, particularly from food and supplies minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, who is the Akali MLA from Patti,” he added.

Gill said the papers of Congress nominees were rejected on the grounds that the SC and the BC certificates (for ward 8) given as proofs of caste were issued by the Patti tehsildar instead of an SDM-level officer.

“This is an absurd objection as students procure caste certificates not just from SDM-level officials but also from tehsildars,” he added. SAD candidates from five wards are all set to be declared elected unopposed as a result. The formal declaration will be on February 16, the last date of withdrawals.

There were reports of similar Congress protest at Bhikiwind and Ajnala. At Ajnala, its former MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala protested the rejection of papers of five nominees under “MLA’s pressure”. SDM Surinder Singh denied the claims, saying: “We are still examining some of the objections raised with respect to some candidates.”