Congress apprehends disruption in polling

CHANDIGARH, Sept 3: Apprehensive of disruption in the polling scheduled for Sunday, the Congress leaders have cautioned the Administraton...

CHANDIGARH, Sept 3: Apprehensive of disruption in the polling scheduled for Sunday, the Congress leaders have cautioned the Administraton for taking necessary steps to ensure a smooth and peaceful elections.

Alleging this at a press conference here today, Congress nominee Pawan Kumar Bansal and Congress leader Harmohan Dhawan said that not only was the BJP nominee Krishan Lal Sharma an quot;outsiderquot;, but even the local BJP leaders and their supporters were quot;outsidersquot;.

Referring to certain BJP leaders who had duplicate votes in both Panchkula and Chandigarh, the Congress leaders said that a large number of quot;outsidersquot; had come into the City posing as supporters of Sharma. They further alleged that a large number of vehicles bearing Delhi, Haryana and Himachal registration numbers had come into the City.

About his campaigning, Bansal said the same had received an encouraging response, over which he expressed his satisfaction. Claiming a tremendous support from all sections in the Union Territory, a bolstered Bansal claimed: quot; We have already won the seat, the question that remains now is of the victory marginquot;. He also claimed the support of a large number of sikh votes in the City, as the Akali Dal which was plagued with factionalism and was divided, did not have much following in the city. Bansal added that the employees were also supporting him as they were fed up with the Akali regime in Punjab.

Bansal also charged the BJP of indulging in false propaganda, which, he termed was out of their frustration.

Harmohan Dhawan, who was accompanying Bansal, said that the response among the public, especially in colonies and slums, was like the 1977 wave which sought a change. Dhawan charged the BJP of having earmarked a budget of Rs 20 lakh for liquor distribution alone and said that liquor of about Rs 5.5 Lakh was already seized by the authorities during raids.

Dhawan also questioned Sharma of where he would vote, since he did not have a vote here. Dhawan alleged that the BJP was responsible for imposition of taxes in the municipal corporation, which were proposedby the ruling BJP councillors. quot;They should be answerable to the taxes imposed on the publicquot;.

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Dhawan further alleged that all senior local BJP leaders had two votes. On this, he said: quot;instead of complaining, we would seek a public mandatequot;.

Bansal, meanwhile, clarified that the Congress had an acting president after the resignation of Venod Sharma as president, stating that Sharma had a vote in Delhi still.