Nearly 5k polling booths identified as vulnerable: Punjab CEO
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C on Friday said that vulnerability mapping ahead of the Lok Sabha poll is going on and around 5,000 polling booths have been identified as vulnerable. “Vulnerability mapping is going on and around 5,000 polling booths have been identified as vulnerable. Critical polling stations are being identified and will be finalized only around the election date,” he said. “According to the guidelines of the EC, all preparations on our end are complete. There are around 24000 booths, and as per our demand, we will get CAPF personnel. So far, 25 companies have arrived and we are utilizing the force. There are 2.12 crore voters. Recovery of around Rs 150 crores has been made- including drugs, liquor, and cash,” he added. The Lok Sabha election in Punjab will be held in a single phase on June 1, 2024. Voting in Punjab will be held for 13 Lok Sabha seats. On Wednesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) team instructed all Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Commissioner of Police (CPs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of Punjab to enhance their campaigns to prevent the smuggling of drugs, liquor, and cash into the state in view of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The ECI team had also told the officials to ensure adequate arrangements for central forces deputed in the state on security duty during polling.
Sukhbir announces SAD’s 145-member PAC
Chandigarh: SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday announced a 145-member Political Affairs Committee (PAC) while further increasing organizational structure of the party. SAD’s core committee member and former minister Daljit Singh Cheema said that the senior leaders of the party have been included in this committee. He added that the rest of the organizational structure will also be announced soon.
Sukhbir urges Punjabis to compare work done by SAD Govt’s with that of Cong and AAP
Fatehgarh Sahib/Amloh: Stating that SAD alone could bring the State back on the road to development, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday appealed to Punjabis to compare the work done by successive SAD governments with that of the erstwhile Congress and present Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments which had taken Punjab back by 20 years. Leading ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’ into Fatehgarh Sahib and Amloh constituencies, he said: “Punjabis should decide whom they want to elect to power. A regional party with a proven track record of speedy development and unique social welfare schemes which cater to all sections of society, or scam-ridden Congress and AAP governments which have made life hell for them.”
Bajwa terms Congress’ Election Manifesto ‘revolutionary’
Chandigarh: Terming the Congress’ election manifesto as “revolutionary”, Punjab's Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday claimed that the party prepared the manifesto after a thorough research in all the sections of the society. Citing a research report of International Labour Organisation and Institute of Human Development, Bajwa said that India's youth account for almost 83 per cent of the unemployed workforce and the share of youngsters with secondary or higher education in total unemployed has almost doubled from 35.2 percent in 2000 to 65.7 percent in 2022. “Keeping in mind the same, the Congress party has promised to work on decreasing the growing unemployment in the country and increasing the family income of the poor families. The congress is committed to abolish the Agniveer scheme and old army recruitment will be reintroduced. The party will launch the Mahalakshmi Scheme to provide Rs one lakh per year to every poor family,” he added.
Himachal Congress assigns election duties to cabinet ministers for assembly bypolls in six seats
Shimla: Seven Himachal Pradesh cabinet ministers were made in-charge of Congress’ campaign for the upcoming bypolls in six assembly seats on Friday, the state unit of the party said. Election duties have also been assigned to chief parliamentary secretaries, Congress MLAs and other office bearers of the party, a statement issued here said. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar was made the minister in-charge for Dharamshala constituency, Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan was appointed as in-charge for Gagret constituency while Education Minister Rohit Thakur and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh would look after Kutleher. Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi is the in-charge of Lahaul and Spiti seat, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma of Sujanpur and Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani of Barsar constituency. The appointments were approved by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge for Himachal Pradesh, Rajeev Shukla. By-elections in six assembly seats were announced after six Congress MLAs were disqualified for not following the party whip. The bypolls in the state would be held with the Lok Sabha polls in four seats on June 1. Nine legislators, including six former Congress MLAs and three independents, had voted in favour of the BJP nominee, Harsh Mahajan, in the Rajya Sabha polls held on February 27. All nine legislators later joined the BJP.
