BJP demands Central security forces for Punjab assembly polls

Jalandhar, Nov 7 (UNI) Apprehending large scale rigging by the ruling Congress workers during next assembly elections in Punjab, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit has urged the Election Commission to arrange Central security forces for the polls due to be held by February next.

Talking to reporters here today, the party spokesman Vijay Sampla also alleged booth capturing and bogus voting by ruling party leaders in connivance with the police during a civic bye election in Patiala recently and demanded cancellation of the election.

In support to the allegation, the party screened two video CDs recorded at a polling booth in Patiala.

Mr Sampla said the copies of the CDs had already been sent to the State Election Commission and the Governor and the same would also be submitted to the Election Commission(EC) soon.

He said that the CDs substantiated the party's fears of booth capturing and other irregularities by the ruling Congress and the state machinery and therefore, it would stress for deployment of Central Security Forces for the assembly elections.

He said a party delegation and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) would meet the Chief Election Commission in New Delhi to apprise him of the ground reality in the state ahead of the polls.

He said that the party would also file an election petition before the court if the state election commission did not declare the Patiala civic bypoll as null and void and ordered fresh polling withing a week.

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