Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

‘AAP creating panic’: SAD-BJP candidates write to poll panel

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com

SAY AAP’S LUDHIANA CANDIDATES MAKING FALSE ALLEGATION­S OF BREACH IN SECURITY AND TAMPERING WITH VOTING MACHINES

LUDHIANA: Candidates of partners Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from constituen­cies of Ludhiana have submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India accusing candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of creating panic among the people over counting of votes, scheduled for March 11.

In a complaint filed jointly by Manpreet Singh Ayali (Dakha), Isher Singh Meharban (Payal),Gurmeet Singh Kular (Atam Nagar), Santa Singh Umedpur (Samrala), Darshan Singh Shivalik (Gill) and others, it has been stated that candidates of the AAP have made false allegation­s of breach in security and tampering of electronic voting machines used in the February 4 polls, and “they have ulterior motives”.

“AAP candidates and volunteers were fully satisfied at the spot when EVMs were being stored, but now they are again making hue and cry as well as nefarious attempts, thus causing panic in the general public and disturbing peace and harmony in the state,” says the complaint filed through advocate Iqbal Singh Gill.

“In order to check these untoward incidents and hidden motives of the AAP candidates, a serious precaution­ary action may kindly be taken against the persons so that no untoward incident takes place. These candidates are spoiling the peace and harmony due to their vested interests,” further states the complaint.

The AAP candidates in Ludhiana have been alleging that the returning officer of Gill segment had tampered with the EVMs kept in the strongroom at Punjab Agricultur­al University (PAU), and had written to the EC about it.

Similarly, in Patiala, AAP candidates raised a hue and cry over alleged tampering of EVMs. After top AAP leaders too raised the issue with the Chief Election Commission­er, a team of the commission deputed from the headquarte­rs in Delhi inspected strongroom­s in several cities of Punjab, and was satisfied with the arrangemen­ts.

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