Punjab: Sukhbir hints at contesting Gidderbaha bypoll

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday hinted at contesting the forthcoming Gidderbaha bypoll, the assembly segment his father and Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal represented for five consecutive terms from 1969-1985.
Addressing a dharna by Akali workers at the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) complex at Gidderbaha to protest the rejection of nominations of panchayat election aspirants, Sukhbir said he is now responsible for the illaqa sangat.
“Election kine ladna hai, is lai party ne parliamentary board banaya hai. Par chinta na karo, mein hee haan sab kuch tuhada (The party has a parliamentary board to pick candidates for polls, but don’t worry I am here to solve your concerns),” the SAD chief said, answering to an appeal to announce the candidate for the Gidderbaha byelection.
Sukhbir batted for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter of large scale rejection of nomination papers for the forthcoming panchayat elections and added that the Muktsar civil administration played a mischief by rejecting papers without valid grounds.
Protest by the SAD leadership at the Gidderbaha SDM office came a day after the state president of the Congress staged a dharna against the alleged arbitrary rejection of election papers of 29 sarpanch aspirants and several panches of the assembly segment.
At today’s dharna, Sukhbir said the panchayat elections may pave the way for the SAD’s re-strengthening ahead of the next assembly elections.
SAD chief recalled the role of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in shaping Punjab’s development image after the decades of militancy ended.
“Sangat of Gidderbaha always supported Bapu Badal and as a true mass leader, Badal saab led the state after years of violence. Now, I request you to bless me so my family can continue to serve the halqa in future too. People of this Gidderbaha are like family to us, and we are always there to help you,” said the former deputy chief minister.
Sukhbir said his team of lawyers is filing nearly 300 petitions in the Punjab and Haryana high court to highlight the biased approach of the Muktsar civil administration.
“I appeal to more aggrieved individuals to approach the party office with their complaints which will be forwarded to file more petitions in the court. We are working to protect the constitutional rights of a common man to contest elections and our team will not hesitate to accept petitions even of the persons having allegiance with the Congress,” he added.
Start panchayat polls process afresh: Cheema
Chandigarh SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema and legal cell head Arshdeep Singh Kler alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the state election commission (SEC) had failed in their duty to conduct free and fair panchayat elections and demanded that the entire process be notified afresh.
Addressing a press conference here, Cheema alleged that the party had approached the SEC on numerous occasions but no action was taken on any of the complaints.