Campaigning ends on a bloody note; four dead

Saturday, 18/05/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130518/punjab.htm#2

Chandigarh : Campaigning for the block samiti and zila parishad elections ended today on a bloody note with two persons killed in a clash near Lopoke in Amritsar district this morning.

The SAD-BJP alliance claimed it was set for a “massive victory” with Youth Akali Dal (YAD) president and Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia claiming the Congress would be “decimated” in the rural areas.

Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa claimed the party would not give up its fight against “political terrorism” launched by the SAD during campaigning. He came down heavily on the State Election Commission and the police for “failing” to control “naked acts of violence by the Akali cadre”.

State Election Commission er Shivinder Brar, when contacted, said unsubstantiated charges were being made against his office.

He said he had received a report from the SSP, Amritsar, stating that a Congress worker and an Akali worker had been killed in a clash triggered by a personal feud.

Brar said that contrary to Congress allegations, there was no large-scale rejection of nomination papers.

Only 127 of the 1,321 papers received for the parishad elections were rejected. Similarly, no one was “forced” to withdraw his or her candidature, as was being alleged.

He said only 404 candidates for the zila parishad poll withdrew their papers. Among them, 331 had filed their nominations as covering candidates.

Meanwhile, 30 persons in fray for the zila parishad poll and 338 contesting the panchayat samiti poll have been elected unopposed.

The election campaign witnessed several instances of violence. Jaspreet Singh Jassa, an aide of a PPP leader, was killed in a shootout at a joint PPP-Congress rally in Adampur on May 16. Congress worker Rajwinder Singh was injured in the incident.

On May 8 Youth Congress activist Sukhraj Singh was killed in Tarn Taran. On May 7, the personal assistant of Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Guruharsahai legislator, was hurt in a fierce attack.

Media adviser to the Chief Minister, Harcharan Bains, claimed that most deaths had occurred because of personal fueds and that prompt action had been taken in all such cases. He blamed the “culture of violence” on provocative speeches by political leaders.

Sources said the elections to Panchayati Raj institutions were being fiercely contested by the SAD because it wanted to build up its base in rural areas in the run-up to the parliamentary elections.The SAD was especially keen on doing well in the Malwa region.

Revenue Minister Majithia claimed that after SAD's good showing in the SGPC and assembly elections, “ we are certain that our good performance in the zila parishad and samiti elections will have a spillover effect on the parliamentary elections.”

Partap Singh Bajwa, PPCC chief, claimed the Akalis had unleashed a reign of terror on the people. This was being done deliberately to intimidate them on the eve of parliamentary elections. 

Fierce contest

• Elections are being fiercely contested by the SAD because it wants to build up its base in rural areas in the run-up to the parliamentary elections
  
  
• The SAD is especially keen on doing well in the Malwa region
  
  
• Harcharan Bains, media adviser to CM, claimed that most deaths during canvassing had occurred because of personal feuds
  
  
• He blamed the “culture of violence” on provocative speeches by political leaders
  
  
• PPCC chief Partap Bajwa claimed people were being deliberately intimidated by the SAD on the eve of LS poll
  
  
• 30 persons in fray for the zila parishad poll and 338 contesting the panchayat samiti poll have been elected unopposed