The Punjab Assembly election is a battle against Delhi-based parties: Sukhbir Badal
Punjab: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday termed the Punjab Assembly elections, scheduled for next year, as a “contest against Delhi-based parties.” He asserted that these parties seek only to “rule over and exploit” Punjab. This statement came a day after Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah announced at a rally in Moga that his party would contest the elections independently, thereby putting an end to speculation regarding a potential alliance with their former ally, the SAD. Addressing a rally in Tajoke village within the Bhadaur Assembly constituency, Sukhbir stated that Delhi-based parties come to the state “merely to rule and exploit it,” whereas the SAD remains “committed to serving the people of Punjab.” Sukhbir asked the gathering, “Can Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, or Arvind Kejriwal care for you as deeply as the Badal family or the SAD does? Do they visit here regularly, or can their local party leaders even issue a statement without their prior approval?”
SAD Alleges Rigging in Mansa Block Committee Elections
Accusing the Mansa district administration—acting at the behest of the AAP—of allegedly detaining 14 of its Block Committee members to prevent them from participating in the elections for the posts of Block Committee Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, nine female members of the SAD have lodged a complaint with the police. They have also demanded action against Gurlal Singh, the Personal Assistant to local MLA Vijay Singla, who is alleged to have made inappropriate gestures. SAD leaders claimed that in the 26-member House, they enjoyed the support of 14 members, while the AAP and its allies held 12 seats. However, the elections were conducted in the presence of only 12 members, resulting in the election of Khushpreet Kaur as Chairperson and Rajpreet Kaur as Vice-Chairperson. Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal termed this incident the “murder of democracy.” MLA Vijay Singla has denied these allegations.
