Re-polling on 53 booths in 8 districts in ZP, panchayat samiti elections

Chandigarh, September 20 

Amid allegations of poll rigging during Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis polling, the Punjab state election commission Thursday ordered re-polling at 53 polling booths in eight districts.

Voters will recast their votes on Friday in these polling stations from 8 am to 4 pm, said an official spokesman of the commission.

The re-polling will take place at 36 polling booths in Muktsar, followed by eight in Amritsar.  

Re-polling will also be held in one polling booth each of Moga, Fazilka and Faridkot districts and two booths each of Patiala and Bathinda and Ludhiana, the spokesman said.

The Akali Dal on Wednesday had alleged poll rigging. It had accused the ruling Congress of resorting to "booth capturing, bogus voting and using muscle power" in the  polls, charges denied by Congress which claimed polling was "free and fair".  

Former Deputy Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and some other Akali workers were Wednesday booked for allegedly thrashing a Congress worker at Killianwali village in Muktsar during the polls. 

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar Thursday attacked SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, alleging that he was leading a convoy of 100 vehicles to threaten Congress workers and vitiate the law and order situation at Muktsar.    "Sukhbir's double face has been exposed. In a video, Sukhbir could be seen leading a group of party workers who are thrashing Congress worker. It shows they are indulging in such activities out of sheer frustration," claimed Jakhar accusing Sukhbir Badal of misusing his 'Z plus' security cover.

Jakhar asked how Sukhbir Badal could be in Lambi when he was a voter of Jalalabad.

"What Sukhbir had done was unconstitutional," Jakhar alleged. The  Gurdaspur MP said maximum repolling is going to take place at Muktsar where, he alleged, Akali Dal leaders indulged in "hooliganism". - PTI