Cong for more Central forces in Punjab
The opposition Congress on Saturday appealed to the Election Commission to deploy at least five personnel of the central security forces in each polling booth to ensure “free and fair polling.”
The opposition Congress on Saturday appealed to the Election Commission to deploy at least five personnel of the central security forces in each polling booth to ensure “free and fair polling.”
A PPCC delegation today met Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla here and sought deployment of central forces with special focus on Bathinda and Patiala Lok Sabha constituencies, a party statement said.
Expressing apprehensions of violence under the “patronage” of ruling Akali-BJP alliance, the delegation alleged that SAD had deputed workers of its youth wing -- Students’ Organisation of India -- to threaten and intimidate voters.
Making a special mention of Bathinda, from where former CM Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder Singh is contesting against Dy CM Sukhbir Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur, the delegation alleged that Sukhbir and Chief Minister P S Badal had made elections in these seats a prestigious issue.
The party demanded deployment of a minimum of 7,500 central paramilitary personnel in each segment, especially in Bathinda and Patiala in the fourth and final phases of polls.
“The paramilitary personnel going to be deployed in these constituencies, as per the reports, is too inadequate,” the statement said.
From Patiala, Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur is seeking re-election on Congress ticket.