A joint Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation today urged Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore to direct the State government to scrap the Ludhiana municipal corporation poll process and hold fresh elections.A joint SAD-BJP delegation led by senior SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Dinesh Kumar and Rajinder Bhandari while bringing the unprecedented violence accompanied with booth capturing and rigging of the in the Ludhiana municipal corporation by the Congress party to the notice of the Governor, said democracy had been murdered and a fresh poll alone would restore the same in the State.The delegation also brought to the notice of the Governor that rigging was conducted by the Congress party under the direct control of Congress Ludhiana mp Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress legislator Bharat Bhushan Ashu. These leaders led mobs, including outsiders and goondas to the polling booths and had a free run because of the large contingent of security personnel accompanying them. It said the leaders misused police personnel deployed with them to indulge in booth capturing and bogus voting as well as intimidation of SAD-BJP workers and even media persons.The delegation urged the Governor to direct the Ludhiana administration to register cases against mp Ravneet Singh Bittu and mla Bharat Bhushan Ashu besides all other Congress leaders including Surinder Dawar and Rakesh Pandey against whom complaints have been submitted. It is also requested that the Governor direct the administration to withdraw all false cases registered against SAD-BJP workers immediately.
In a representation it was pointed out that the entire election machinery including civil and police officials not only remained mute spectators to widespread violence but also actively connived with the Congress party to help the wrong doers leading to widespread rigging in all wards. It said top civil and police officials turned a blind eye to all incidents of violence and refused to come to the aid of the people. It related how even the State Election Commission (SEC) failed in its duty and did not take action on any of the multiple complaints submitted to it.Giving an example about the extent of the rigging, the representation said in two booths in Dugri more votes were polled than those registered. It said the administration ordered repoll in these wards after this was brought to the notice of the people by the media but refused to take action in case of hundreds of other complaints. This they said included firing done by Ravneet Bittu’s relative Karan Sekhon with regard to which an FIR was registered against 62 Akali workers, including unidentified workers in ward number 75.The representation also pointed out that all the incidents of violence and booth rigging were pre-planned and executed by Congress leaders and workers accompanied by goondas in active collusion with civil and police administration of Ludhiana. It said appropriate action should also be taken against officers who failed to do their duty. It said all such officers should be proceeded against as per the law.The delegation members included Hira Singh Gabria, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Ranjit Singh Cheema, Manpreet Ayali, Charanjit Brar,from SAD & from Bjp Vineet joshi, Prof.Rajinder Bhandari.