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Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 10
Avinash Jolly, ex-deputy mayor, has alleged that some anti-social elements associated with the ruling Congress had been threatening him and his family to pressurise him to withdraw his candidature. Jolly is in the fray as an Independent from Ward No. 54. He also alleged police inaction as despite several complaints, the “police did not take action against the accused.”
Jolly is a three-time councillor. A former SAD leader, he was deputy mayor in his last tenure in the MC House. Now, a BJP candidate has been contesting from Ward No. 54 representing the SAD-BJP alliance and so Jolly has quit the SAD and filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate.
While addressing a press conference, Jolly said activists of the Congress had been threatening him since he filed his nomination papers. “I have been receiving regular threats from the ruling party. They are forcing me to keep away from the election process. Earlier, they threatened me to withdraw the nomination papers, but I did not. Now, they are threatening me of dire consequences. They also threatened to abduct my son Sambhav, who is managing electioneering for me,” said Jolly.
However, he didn’t name anyone. “They are from the Congress. I don’t want to name anyone as I am worried for my family,” he added. Jolly alleged that he wrote to the police commissioner seeking security, but nothing apart from recording his statement was done.
“I have been contesting elections since 1991 but never faced such circumstances. I work with a sole aim public welfare for which people vote for me. This is for the first time that the ruling party is not allowing me to contest elections.”
Jolly also wrote to the Punjab Election Commission to deploy paramilitary forces in his ward for peaceful election process. “I have apprehensions that the opposite party leaders, with the help of anti-social elements, will try to interrupt the election process and resort to booth capturing. So, I request the election commission to deploy paramilitary forces along with Punjab Police at all booths of my ward,” he added.
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