Lucky draw decides fate of 2 in Doraha!

It was a jittery moment for an Independent and a Congress canddiate when the poll results showed both of them securing equal number of votes at the ward number 15 of Doraha on Wednesday.

It was a jittery moment for an Independent and a Congress canddiate when the poll results showed both of them securing equal number of votes at the ward number 15 of Doraha on Wednesday. The Payal sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Harjot Kaur, eventually conducted a lucky draw in which the Congress candidate, Bant Singh, hit the jackpot.

Earlier, the independent candidate, Gurtej Singh, suggested to get the re-elections scheduled.

Both the candidates got 220 votes each. Following the results came out, the concerned authorities discussed the issue with the higher authorities. The canddiates also discussed the possibility of holding the position for half the period each but the SDM told them that there was no such provision.

Amid discussions, both agreed to hold a lucky draw to decide their fate. At around 8.30pm on Wednesday, SDM Harjot Kaur got the draw conducted at Guru Nanak College in Doraha where the child was called to take out one of the slips bearing the names of both the candidates. This lead the Congress candidate to win as the slip picked was bearing his name.

Payal SDM said, “The lottery was held with the permission of both the candidates.”

Dissatisfied over his loss, Gurtej said that it was not fair that a lottery was conducted to decide the fate of elections that come after five years. “It is known to all that liquor was provided to voters by the Congress candidate. We had complained to the SDM to take action,” he said.

Winner Bant Singh said that he would develop the ward in the coming five years. arjun.sharma@hindustantimes.com