For rural poll, filing of papers starts tomorrow

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 13

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Pardeep Kumar Agrawal said the process for filing of nominations for the upcoming gram panchayat elections would start from December 15 and continue till December 19.

Nominations can be filed between 11 am and 3 pm daily and a notification in this regard has already been issued by the State Election Commission.

Agrawal said the scrutiny of nomination papers would be held on December 20 and nominations could be withdrawal till 3 pm on December 21. Later, on the same day, election symbols would be allotted. Voting would be held from 8 am to 4 pm on December 30 and after counting, results would be declared the same evening, he said.

He said the election of 941 sarpanches and 6,391 panches would be carried out in a peaceful and transparent manner.

Pardeep Kumar Agrawal said the offices where nominations could be filed have already been decided. He said the nominations of villages under Dehlon block could be filed at the office of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer and the veterinary office. The nominations for villages under Doraha could be filed at offices of the nagar council and the Secretary, Market Committee. For Jagraon block, it can be filed at the Agriculture Office, Market Committee Office, Nagar Council Office and Food Supplies Office. For Khanna block, at Market Committee office; for the Ludhiana-1 block at Satguru Ram Singh Government Polytechnic College (girls), Rishi Nagar, Ludhiana; for the Ludhiana-2 block, at Government Senior Secondary School, Jawahar Nagar Camp, near bus stand; and for the Pakhowal block, at Block Development and Panchayat Office, Pakhowal.

For the Raikot block, nominations could be filed at the market committee office, Raikot; for the Machhiwara block, at the Block Development and Panchayat Office, Market Committee Office and Nagar Council Office, Sri Machhiwara Sahib. For the Malaud block, nominations can be filed at the Nagar Panchayat Office and Market Committee Office, Malaud; for Samrala, at the PWD Office, Nagar Council Office and Market Committee Office, Samrala; for Sidhwan Bet block, at the office of Child Development and Protection Officer and BPEO Office. The nominations of villages under Sudhar block can be filed at Guru Teg Bahadur Institute of Management & Technology, College Road, Dakha.

Social, religious organisations up in arms over use of drugs, intoxicants to lure voters

• Mandi Ahmedgarh/ Raikot/ Payal: Office-bearers and activists of various religious and social organisations of rural areas have launched a crusade against the use of drugs and intoxicants to lure voters during the ensuing Panchayat elections scheduled to take place on December 30.
• Besides supporting the DAPO (Drug Abuse Prevention Officer) programme of the Punjab Government, the movement will also ensure development at villages. 
• Barundi village has emerged the epicentre of the movement after office-bearers and activists of more than half a dozen management committees of gurdwaras resolved to boycott and oppose the candidates who try to lure voters by offering drugs and liquor during campaigning. 
• Gurdwara Bibi Partap Kaur Manna Patti president Gurdev Singh said decision to launch the coordinated movement to check the use of drugs and narcotics was taken during a meeting of office-bearers of all religious places held recently. 
• “We have also informed the probable candidates for the post of sarpanch and panchs about the stand taken by residents. Some of them have started keeping xerox copy of the resolution which they can show when someone asks for any type of allurement for voting or supporting a particular candidate,” said Singh. 
• Volunteers at a large number of religious places of the region have been making public announcements about boycotting candidates violating the model code of conduct. 
• Office-bearers and activists of the Malwa Social Welfare Society, Malaudh, have also resolved to support only those candidates who don’t seek votes through any kind of allurement. 
• Raikot Block Development Project Officer Navneet Joshi said rank and file in the department had been advised to make sure that aspirants are updated about elements of the code of conduct to be followed during the election process. “We will also acknowledge and reward efforts being made by social activists in spreading awareness about the causes and consequences of the misuse of drugs and liquor during elections,” said Joshi. — Mahesh Sharma