Jalandhar: Tension erupted at a local polytechnic college here on Wednesday during the counting of votes for the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections, when a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from the Bajrawar Block Samiti zone under the Chabbewal assembly constituency was declared defeated by a margin of just one vote. Following the announcement of the results, Akali Dal leaders and workers raised objections and staged a protest outside the counting center. They held a sit-in and raised slogans against the state government, alleging serious irregularities in the counting process.
Addressing the protesters, senior SAD leader Jatinder Singh Lalli Bajwa and urban district president Nirmal Singh Bhilowal alleged that leaders of the ruling party were using mobile phones inside the center to influence the counting, while objections raised by representatives of the opposition party were ignored. They claimed that despite submitting an application for a recount, no action was taken. Instead, they said that under political pressure, the Aam Aadmi Party candidate was allegedly declared the winner. The Akali leaders further alleged that police personnel were harassing Akali workers and preventing them from entering the counting center. Describing the situation as unprecedented, the protesters said that they had never faced such difficulties during the tenure of previous governments. As of the time of writing this report, Akali Dal leaders and workers were continuing their sit-in protest outside the counting center, demanding a fair recount and transparency in the electoral process.
Jalandhar: The Akali Dal staged a protest after their candidate lost by one vote.
