‘Match thumb impressions on nomination,withdrawal papers’

Five other CPI candidates also filed similar complaints demanding that their signatures be matched on the two forms. “Signatures can be forged but not thumb impressions. We have demanded that thumb impressions and signatures be matched on the nomination and withdrawal forms. If they do not match,FIRs should be lodged under sections 420,468,471 (fraud and impersonation) of the IPC against the concerned returning officer and the beneficiary candidates who have been elected unopposed after the false withdrawals,” CPI district secretary of Faridkot,Pawanpreet Singh,said.

The Congress,which is alleging nine of its nominations for block samiti and one for zila parishad were falsely withdrawn or rejected too filed similar complaints on Sunday. The CPI has also written to the National Commission for SC/ST alleging that candidates whose nominations were falsely withdrawn,belonged to SC families.

Meanwhile,amid allegations of false withdrawals and wrong rejection of nominations,Faridkot poll observer Dilraj Singh Sandhewalia,a PCS officer,was shifted by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday.

When contacted,he refused to comment on his transfer. “I had received complaint of false withdrawal of nomination from the CPI and had forwarded it to the Faridkot deputy commissioner,who is supervising the whole poll process as district election officer,” Sandhewalia said.

However,both Congress and CPI claimed that Sandhewalia had warned Kotkapura Returning Officer Darshan Singh that action will be taken against him. “On the last day of withdrawal of nominations,the poll observer,in a meeting,had told the RO that he will give an adverse report to the State Election Commission on the conduct of polls following complaints of wrong withdrawals,” Pawanpreet Singh said.

State Election Commissioner S S Brar,when contacted,said Sandhewalia had sought a transfer on personal grounds. On the complaints in Faridkot,he said: “I will seek a report from the Faridkot DC. So far,no malafide withdrawal or rejection has come to our notice.”

Faridkot DC Ravi Bhagat said they have sought comments of Darshan Singh on the complaint filed by a CPI candidate against false withdrawal of nomination. “He is yet to file his comments. We will look into other complaints and send our reply to the State Election Commission,” he added.

According to the Panchayati Raj Act,the RO is the final authority on matters related to nomination. An appeal can be made to the election tribunal,which in case of zila parishad and block samiti elections,is the director (Panchayats) — the department that conducts panchayat polls. However,the department has Mantar Singh Brar as the CPS whose younger brother is contesting the zila parishad polls from the area.