Campaigning ends in city

CHANDIGARH, Sept 3: The campaigning had to come to an end at 5 p.m. today. And, the candidates knew this. But, just when they had to draw...

CHANDIGARH, Sept 3: The campaigning had to come to an end at 5 p.m. today. And, the candidates knew this. But, just when they had to draw curtains on their frenzied electioneering they yearned for more 8230;.. quot;Yeh dil maange more 8230;quot;.

The election gusto which had been gaining ground for the past 15 days of campaigning, was, without doubt, at its zenith today. Though each of the days that passed was utilised to the hilt by workers of both the main contending parties, their die-hard spirits surfaced even more today as the Election Commission deadline for campaigning approached a dead end.

A cursory glance at the day8217;s over 18-hour election schedule of the contesting parties revealed that the workers had not reserved even a minute of rest for themselves. Hectic electioneering marked the penultimate day, right from prabhat pheris starting at 6 a.m., till the last public meeting which usually ended past 10 p.m., religiously interspersed with election rallies and corner meetings.

The candidates8217; day, however, did not end here, as it went much past midnight, as they saw off all their supporters and made plans for the next day of campaigning, which meant the same grind, or probably tougher.

The draining schedule notwithstanding, this day surely left the devout workers craving for more and still more of time 8230; for no time is quot;enough to woo the voterquot;. Though all visible forms of canvassing have come to an end, door-to-door and personal contact campaigning is likely to continue.

Meanwhile, the women also pitched in their bit in canvassing for their candidates, going about door-to-door. Their campaigning also touched a new high today as they went all out to woo the women voters.

All along the campaiging, those coming in support of candidates included their wives and relatives, besides their ardent supporters.

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Madhu Bansal, wife of Congress nominee Pawan Kumar Bansal, used to start her day at 10 a.m. and end it late at night, taking care of the areas where Bansal himself could not make it during the day. Bansal8217;s canvassing was supported by Satinder Dhawan also, who earler used to campaign for her husband Harmohan Dhawan. Besides, Bansal8217;s relatives also extended their support.

On the other hand, women coming in support of bachelor K.L. Sharma were from among the family of Late Ram Sarup Sharma. Besides, a municipal councillor from Delhi, Bhavna, was also here to campaign for Sharma. For the other candidates too, women in the family did their best to do their bit in canvassing and win the sympathies of the women voters in favour of their candidates.

District Magistrate M. Ramsekhar said all arrangements had been made for the polling on Sunday. He told Newsline that the election material would be despatched to various polling stations tomorrow and polling staff would also be sent to the 644 polling booths in the city.

Surveillance stepped upWith the seizure of a huge haul of illegal liquor from various places in the city prior to the general elections on Sunday, surveillance all over the city has been stepped up and nakas set up to check illegal sale of liquor. UT District Magistrate M. Ramsekhar has ordered the setting up of police nakas,especially around the villages, colonies and slums, to ensure that no illegal liquor is carted and distributed.

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All vehicles, especially those bearing outside registrate numbers are also being checked extensively. Extra police force has also been deployed at various places.