Ferozepur Cong to videograph elections

With a view to ensuring that the upcoming municipal committee election on February 25 are free of booth-capturing incidents and lawlessness, the Congress’ Ferozepur unit will videograph polling at all booths, the permission for which has been granted by the district administration.

With a view to ensuring that the upcoming municipal committee election on February 25 are free of booth-capturing incidents and lawlessness, the Congress’ Ferozepur unit will videograph polling at all booths, the permission for which has been granted by the district administration.

In a communiqué to the local administration, Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki said he apprehended violence at the behest of the ruling SAD-BJP combine.

He demanded that polling on all booths be videographed on the lines of the assembly and parliamentary elections.

During the assembly or Lok Sabha polls, the election commission allocates special funds to the administration to bear expenses for videography but in the civic body polls there is no such provision, officials said.

Pinki alleged that he had inputs that SAD-BJP leaders would adopt “unethical means” to win the MC elections in Ferozepur and they might resort to booth capturing as it happened during the last MC polls wherein even gunshots were fired in broad daylight to intimidate the Congress rank and file.

Sundeep Singh Gra, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)-cum-returning officer, Ferozepur, said the administration has granted permission to the Congress to videograph polling at booths on the condition that they bear expenditure for the same.

Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swapan Sharma, who also holds additional charge as Ferozepur SSP, said no one would be allowed to disrupt polling. Several patrolling parties and quick responbse teams have been assigned duty to ensure peaceful polling, the SSP said.