Same difference: Now, Cong gives SAD taste of power play in MC polls
OLD TRICKS OF GAME From absence of executive officers, to nonissuance of certificates, to ‘unfair’ rejecting nominations of rival parties, Congress faces same charges it accused Akalis of as opposition
CHANDIGARH:With the ruling Congresshavinghigher stakesinthe December 17 municipal polls to show that its popularity is not on the downswing, the old tricks of winning the game are back.
On the last day of filing nomination papers for elections to three municipal corporations and 32 nagar councils and panchayats,gunshotsboomedinFerozepur district over non-grant of no-dues certificates, and Akalis and Congressmen clashed in Baghapurana and Ghanaur too.
In their appeal to state election commissionerJagpalSinghSandhu on Wednesday, the SAD demanded that polls in all these fourareasbecountermanded.At Makhu and Mallanwala in Zira assembly segment, the Akalis claimed that none of their party candidates was given no-dues certificate to contest the nagar panchayatpollsowingtoabsence of executive officers (EOs) from duty.
Both Makhu and Mallanwala have13seatseach.TheCongress was able to file nominations on all, and so were 12 and 13 independents respectively. One seat in Makhu just has a Congress candidate who gets to be the winner unanimously.
When contacted, Makhu EO SharanjitKaurdeniedtheallegation and said she was on duty all the past three days. “I am not aware of whether a candidate is from Congress or Akali Dal. We gave the certificates to all who came. It has to be verified from various departments. A candidate has to clear all dues of the localbody,beitpropertyorhouse tax, water and sewerage dues, or dues for using its properties for advertisement,” she said.
TheMallanwalaEOcouldnot be contacted despite repeated attempts.
SAD vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema apprehends that “wrongful” rejection of nominationswouldbenext.“We fear they would tear or remove no-dues certificates of candidates to disqualify them at the scrutiny stage, so that they go unopposedordon’tfacecompetition,” he said.
ROLEREVERSAL
WhentheAkaliswereinpower,it wastheCongressthathadalleged their nominations were “withdrawn”withouttheirknowledge in civic polls.
Theytoohad alleged that EOs were not present to hand over no-dues certificates or “they tore them off” to reject nominations.
In the block samiti polls in 2014 at Kotkapura,nominationsofCongress candidates were rejected fornon-paymentof‘tooti’tax—a levypaidforgettingwatersupply connection for installing a tap — of even those who did not have a
tap at home. The Congress had called the elections a farce.
But Cheema claims the Congressneverproducedproofofany such allegation.
“We have given the state poll commission video recordings
and we are naming officials, and how they (government) posted SHOsondayofannouncementof polls inMakhuandMallanwala. Did Congress ever prove if and when we misused power and how?” he said.