With the ruling Congress sweeping recent civic polls in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its ally Lok Insaf Party (LIP) on Friday demanded independent observer from outside the state to ensure free and fair elections during the coming polls for the Municipal Corporation (MC) Ludhiana.

With this demand, a joint delegation of AAP and LIP on Friday met the chief election office (CEO) of State Election Commission Punjab to raise the issue of alleged misuse of official machinery by the Amarinder Singh government during civic polls.

The delegation consisted of leader of Opposition, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and LIP president, Simarjeet Singh Bains and legislators Kanwar Sandhu (AAP) and Balwinder Singh Bains (LIP).Speaking to reporters, SmirajeetBains — who represents Atam Nagar segment in Ludhiana — alleged said that even the police officials and other official staff have been helping the candidates of ruling parties in achieving their nefarious designs.

” A number of complaints have been lodged against these officials but nothing has been done in this regard till date,” he said adding that even the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the state government to conduct elections in transparent, fair and impartial manner.

Khaira said that Congress is trying every possible means to hijack the present elections but AAP-LIP alliance will never let it happen and will ensure the people of Ludhiana can exercise their electoral duty properly.
He said that keeping in mind the way in which Congress government has concluded the recent Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala civic polls, it is mandatory to appoint observer from outside state to conduct the elections of Ludhiana municipal corporation.

In a memorandum to the CEO, Bains who represents Ludhiana in the Assembly alleged the recent civic polls in Patiala, Amritsar and Jalandhar witnessed numerous cases of booth capturing, use of physical force manhandling of voters and supporters if other parties.

He said now the election of MC Ludhiana is scheduled for February 2018 and the ruling party is hell bent to adopt every method to ensure the win of its candidates. Bains therefore requested the CEO to appoint independent observers from outside Punjab to in order to ensure free and fair elections.