Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
HC stay on elections in villages covered by 250 petitions a blot on the face of AAP Govt – SAD
(Dr Daljit S Cheema points out to the failure of SEC to take action on complaints which had worsened the situation)
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, October 9, 2024 - The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today described the stay on elections by the high court in all villages covered by 250 petitions as a blot on the face of the Bhagwant Mann government and asserted that this was clear cut evidence of misuse of government machinery to murder democracy.
In a statement here, senior party leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the petitioners had pleaded before the high court that their nomination papers had been illegally rejected under pressure from ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government functionaries.
Asserting that the high court had given a major relief to the aggrieved petitioners, he said “Many more petitions are likely to be filed in the coming days which will further prove how the AAP government tried to throttle the voice of democracy at the grass root level”.
Dr Cheema said the very fact that nomination papers of opposition party candidates were rejected after the allotment of symbols amounted to malafide on the paper of the AAP government. “This also indicates the failure of the State Election Commission in carrying out free and fair elections. The SEC failed to stick to the election schedule notified by it and Returning Officers continued to cancel nominations on back dates by issuing revised lists. Instead of taking action against such black sheep the Commission remained a mute spectator”.
Dr Cheema said the SAD had on its part held daily meetings with SEC Mr Raj Kamal Chaudhary along with documentary proof of wrongdoing but unfortunately the SEC failed to perform its duty.
“Instead of taking action against the erring officials, the SEC tried to cover up everything. His tendency was to delay everything. There is a total lack of transparency in the working of the Commission. He failed to give any satisfactory reply to any of our written representations. Had Mr Raj Kamal Chaudhary acted in time, the situation would not have reached such an alarming level”, Dr Cheema added.