A joint delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ON Tuesday met the State Election Commissioner (SEC), Jagpal Singh Sandhu, and urged the commission to take action against government officials allegedly working as agents of the Congress by denying no-dues certificates to SAD-BJP candidates for the forthcoming municipal elections. The joint delegation, led by senior Akali leader Tota Singh, also told Sandhu that false cases had been registered against five Akali workers who had complained about the conduct of Mallanwala and Makhu nagar panchayat Executive Officer (EO). He said the Akali leaders had approached the Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner because the EO was refusing to give them no dues certificates. Instead of giving them any relief, the local police registered cases against the delegation members, Tota Singh said. SAD Vice President Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said SHOs of Mallanwala and Makhu had joined on the day the municipal elections were announced. He said they should be removed from their posts immediately to ensure free and fair election in both nagar panchayats. Dr Cheema also demanded that elections to both Mallanwala and Makhu nagar panchayats be put off and held separately at a later date. The delegation also told the CEO that ‘no dues certificates’ were not being given to Akali workers in Moga, Dharamkot and Baghapurana. They said a similar situation existed in Rajasansi and unless the SEC did not crack the whip against errant officials there was no hope of free and fair elections being held in the state. BJP state secretary Vineet Joshi disclosed that names of prospective candidates were being struck off lists and that complaints filed against returning officers were going unheard.
