Congress alleges massive rigging by Badal family in Faridkot
Punjab Congress general secretary Partap
Singh Bajwa on Tuesday alleged massive rigging, use of money and muscle power
supported by the police and civil administration in the Faridkot Lok Sabha
constituency during Monday's polling.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the chief minister's son, was the
principal contender against Jagmeet Singh Brar of the Congress in
this constituency.
While claiming that the Election Commission has been informed of all
this, Bajwa demanded "justice from the Commission". He also
demanded an inquiry as to why polling in one booth was delayed by half
an hour to enable the chief minister to cast his vote.
Besides alleging "booth capturing" in Badal village of Lambi
assembly segment and Aulakh and Rathria villages in Mallot segment,
Bajwa claimed that the police registered a case of rioting against
the Congress candidate's brother Ripjit Singh Brar when the latter led
demonstrators against the alleged distribution of cash to voters at Moga
on Monday.
The Congress leader alleged that voters were paid to vote for
Badal and also paid not to vote at all in those areas where his
poll managers suspected a wave in favour of the Congress candidate.
Bajwa further alleged that voters and Congressmen were beaten up
and claimed that Nasib Singh Bawa, the Congress councillor at Moga,
and Thammanwala village's Congress sarpanch Natha Singh, were beaten
up. The latter has been hospitalised, he added.
He claimed polling booths were captured at Baghoramana village
and people queued up at Kotkapura's polling booths were paid cash in
full view of the police and civil administration.
The Congress leader alleged that as per his party's information,
the chief minister had pumped in Rs 150 to Rs 200 million in the
constituency to rig the election in favour of his son. The ruling
Akali Dal had planned to purchase 20,000 votes in each of the nine
assembly segments of the constituency, he added.
He alleged that the Badal family, "who pioneered the art of
rigging in Faridkot in 1957", was responsible for corrupting Punjab's voters.
UNI in Jalandhar
Elections '98
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