Twice in a month’s time, Punjab Congress has urged the Punjab State Election Commission to ensure “free and fair” Panchayati Raj elections.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), while submitting a memorandum to the State Election Commissioner SS Brar on Tuesday, asked to make adequate security arrangements to let the people exercise their right of voting with free will.
A day after submitting the memorandum to the Punjab Governor with the same set of demands, PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa said that despite repeated objections raised by the Congress, the “SAD-BJP alliance is adamant to vitiate the democratic process.
SEC has a greater responsibility to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution and ensure free and fair Panchayat elections”.
Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the SAD-BJP Government was “blatantly misusing the local administration and Police across the state to coerce and intimidate the Congress candidates and further threatening them with registration of criminal cases against them in case they do not withdraw from the contest”.
Earlier also, Bajwa had met the SEC on April 24 demanding to prevent SAD-BJP government from “hijacking” the election process.
Bajwa also brought to the notice of SEC about failure of Punjab Police in depositing the arms from SAD supporters. “Only 50 percent arms were deposited.
This is one major reason of killing of Punjab Youth Congress leader of Patti Sukhraj Singh and attack on Congress MlA from Guru Har Sahai Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi,” he added.