With Punjab set to go to polls on February 4, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday appealed to political parties to co-operate with the Election Commission (EC) in conducting the elections in a peaceful and fair manner.
“Punjabis have always upheld the lofty ideals of peace, communal harmony and brotherhood and hoped the glorious tradition would be maintained,” he said.
Irrespective of political differences, every party has a right to disseminate their ideology, Badal said, adding that Punjab government fully respected this and was committed to carrying out elections in a peaceful, free and fair manner.
Chief Minister also said that the state government would fully cooperate with the Election Commission in strictly implementing the Model Code of Conduct.
Welcoming the single phase polling, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh expressed confidence that the grand old party would emerge victorious in the electoral battle.
The former chief minister said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stand on chances, adding that both parties will be rejected by the people.
“We will definitely give a strong competition to the BJP and the AAP and we will show where we stand in Punjab,” he said.
Capt Amarinder said that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will release the Congress party's manifesto in the coming days. “Our manifesto is very comprehensive and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will release this manifesto. We had requested the Election Commission to conduct polls in a single-phase in Punjab,” he said.