Gurdaspur: Leading politicians of almost all political parties of the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency are relying on priests to see them through to the finishing line on March 10, the day the votes are to be counted. These ‘Pandits’ have been asked to be present at the houses of these leaders in the wee hours of March 10. These politicians seem to be oblivious to the saying that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Only one candidate from a seat is going to win. This, in effect, means the predictions and calculations of all other ‘Pandits’ will go off in a tangent. “Pandit or no Pandit, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” said a candidate.
Medico back to work
Muktsar: AAP candidate from Malout Dr Baljit Kaur, a state-awardee eye surgeon, who hogged the limelight for examining people during her election campaign, has returned to her duty at a charitable hospital in Muktsar. As the election results are yet to be declared, she has resumed her normal duties. The doctor-politician says she will continue with her job even after the election results. Notably, Baljit, daughter of former Faridkot MP Prof Sadhu Singh, has served at the local civil hospital for a long time.
Candidates kept guessing
Sangrur: Amid a five-cornered contest between the Congress, AAP, SAD, BJP, and SSM, voters are not ready to reveal their cards even a week after polling. Leaders approaching people in their segments these days are promptly given an assurance of unflinching support. This has upset the calculations of many candidates, who have been trying to assess a rough number of village-wise votes that they have received from their constituency. To outsmart politicians, many voters have stopped discussing their choice over the phone, fearing their calls may be recorded. It’s giving sleepless nights to candidates.
Turnout fails to impress
Abohar: Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal campaigned in Abohar and Balluana constituencies in the last two days of campaigning, a post-poll analysis indicates the turnout on February 20 was still not satisfactory. Of 95,323 male voters in Abohar, 70,821 cast their votes, while 24,502 missed it. Attractive pink booths were erected for women. For the first time, 33 per cent of the polling agents deployed by the Congress were women. Of 83,088 women voters only 60,770 exercised their franchise. In the Balluana reserved constituency, the Congress and BJP had fielded women candidates, both post-graduates. This too could not give the turnout a boost.
In public service
Fatehgarh Sahib: The district police have taken a unique initiative to redress public complaints and grievances by organising a “Public Darbar” every Saturday at each police station of the district. A gazetted officer will preside over the forum and try to arrive at a quick settlement of disputes through negotiations with the parties concerned. The initiative is the brainchild of SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal, he said there was a huge backlog of complaints pending for the last six months. He said public would benefit from the move and pressure on civil courts would reduce to a large extent.
Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Archit Watts, Parvesh Sharma, Raj Sadosh amp; Surinder Bhardwaj
Counting on priests
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