Officers creating hurdles for SAD-BJP in MC polls: Cheema

CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday wrote to the state election commission claiming that the state bureaucracy was deliberately creating hurdles for the Akalibjp candidates by ‘stopping them’ from filing nominations for the municipal polls in the state.

It demanded strict action against erring officials, besides asking the commission to ensure a hassle-free election process to ‘keep intact the democratic set up’.

In a letter to the election commission former minister and SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said it was surprising that the filing of nominations for the MC elections had already started, but in many municipal committees as Dharamkot, Panjtoor of district Moga and town committees like Dhilwan, Begowal and Bholath of district Kapurthala voter lists had not been finalised.

“This is a deep-rooted conspiracy weaved by the state bureaucracy, which desperately wants to keep the rival candidates out of the contest,” Cheema claimed.

On the harassment being faced by candidates at the hand of local administration that had been refusing to provide them the Non-objection Certificates (NOCS), the SAD leader said candidates in municipal committees of Dharamkot and Panjtoor (of district Moga) and town panchayats of Mallanwala and Makhu (of district Ferozepur) had not been issued NOCS by their local administration.