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Panchayat polls: Opposition candidates’ papers rejected in Mohali, alleges ex-minister Sidhu
According to former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, the state government is attempting to install those individuals as sarpanches and panches who have been previously proven to have encroached on panchayat properties
Former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Tuesday accused the state government of deliberately rejecting documents filed by candidates of opposite parties in Mohali for the upcoming panchayat elections.
While interacting with mediapersons at a press conference at his office in Mohali’s Phase 1, the Congress leader alleged that due to “unabated” pressure from the government, election officers and staff were not heeding to pleas by candidates of the opposition parties, forcing them to approach the court individually.
Citing the example of Papri village, where opposition candidates had to seek an injunction from the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) over rejection of nomination papers, Sidhu claimed that the state government was attempting to install those individuals as sarpanches and panches who had been previously proven to have encroached on panchayat properties.
“When the election staff dismissed documented objections raised by opposition candidates, they were compelled to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court. The Congress candidates from Kurara village were also forced to twice knock on the doors of the court to enforce a directive for videography of the panchayat election process. Fraudulent votes were re-created in this village which have been previously invalidated by the HC after an investigation,” the former minister said.
Sidhu further accused the election staff of manipulating and editing candidate lists of their own in Jujhar Nagar, Bar Majra and Behlolpur. Sharing two lists with the media, he pointed out that names of nine candidates were rejected in a list published on October 5, but were accepted in a new list issued on October 7.
Congress leaders Harkesh Chand Sharma from Machhli Kalan, former sarpanch Davinder Singh from Kurra, Gyan Singh from Kurra, Gurjeet Singh Mavi and Bachan Singh from Papri were also present in the press conference.
