Punjab: SAD holds protest, claims nomination papers of its candidates torn by AAP

The Shiromani Akali Dal SAD, led by its president Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Wednesday staged a dharna here in protest against the tearing of nomination papers of the party candidates for the upcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls, claiming it occurred at the behest of the AAP.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by its president Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Wednesday staged a dharna here in protest against the tearing of nomination papers of the party candidates for the upcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls, claiming it occurred at the behest of the AAP. Asserting that he was with party workers and would lead all protests to safeguard democracy in the polls from the front, Badal said, ''We will not allow this corrupt and failed government to suppress democracy at any cost''. He called up the state election commissioner to inform that the SAD had ''video evidence of AAP workers tearing the nomination papers of Akali candidates with the open support of the police force.'' He noted that, subsequently, the Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police visited the protest site, which led to all Akali candidates being permitted to file their nomination papers. Following this, the sit-in was concluded. Badal also called on party workers across the state to file their nomination papers without fear. He urged them to initiate protests if they faced any obstruction while filing their papers. Additionally, he requested the relevant officers to refrain from acting in a biased manner by rejecting the nominations of SAD candidates. During a speech to party workers in Patti, Badal alleged that AAP was employing ''underhand methods'' in the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections because it was afraid of being completely rejected by the voters. Meanwhile, a SAD delegation led by its legal cell chairman, Arshdeep Singh Kler, filed a written complaint with the State Election Commission (SEC) on the alleged non-cooperation of local election officials in various districts and urged it to issue requisite directions to comply with the model code of conduct. Kler said that it has come to the knowledge of the Akali Dal that concerned officers in various districts are not cooperating in filing nomination papers by opposition parties. He said he received reports that officers were not issuing no-objection certificates and other required documents despite directions issued in this regard by the SEC. He emphasised that conducting free and fair elections was the responsibility of officers concerned, which they were allegedly not performing. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Pargat Singh too targeted the AAP government, accusing it of misusing police and district administration officials to threaten and prevent opposition candidates from filing their nomination papers. He urged the SEC to issue strict directions to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections and to prevent the misuse of government machinery. The government, he said, is employing every possible tactic to secure victory and is willing to go to any extent, he alleged in a statement. ''Opposition party candidates are being intimidated by police officials and threatened over the phone,'' he alleged. He pointed out that while Sukhbir Badal held a protest in Tarn Taran district, former Congress MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur staged a similar protest in Patiala against the alleged highhandedness. Pargat Singh demanded that the SEC ensure complete the videography of the entire election process, including not only the filing of nomination papers but also the polling phase, to guarantee transparency. The elections for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis in Punjab are scheduled for December 14, with vote counting to occur three days after the polls.

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