Beas assembly poll records 80 per cent polling

Amritsar, Mar 11 (UNI) Polling in the sensitive Beas assembly constituency of Punjab today passed off peacefully with an estimated 80 per cent of the 1.42 lakh electorate exercising their franchise.

The Election Commission (EC) had made elaborate security arrangements for the polls and 20 Para Military Force (PMF) and state commando companies were posted in Beas the for smooth conduct of the poll.

The polling, which commenced at 0800 hrs under inclement weather conditions in all the 129 booths, ended on a peaceful note at 1700 hrs. Barring a few verbal duels between Congress and Akali activists, polling resumed peacefully and no incident of violence was reported.

However, polling at a few booths had to be suspended for a few minutes as the EVMs developed technical faults. However, after rectifying the faults, the voters were allowed to cast their votes.

Counting of votes will be taken up on March 14 and the result will be declared the same day after getting necessary clearances from the EC.

There were 12 candidates in the fray which included sitting MLA and Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Manjinder Singh Kang of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which in alliance with the BJP, captured power in Punjab in the February polls. The BSP had also fielded Tarsem Singh, but the main contest was confined to the Congress and the SAD.

The elections in Beas were postponed to March 11 on the directions of the EC which found the security arrangements made by the then state government 'not conducive to a free and fair poll'.

Poll violence in the constituency claimed the life of an SAD supporter on January 29.

After the incident, a FIR on the statement of SAD leaders was registered against Dimpa, his brothers, Rajan and Harman, a SP ranking officer in the Punjab Police and 13 others after the death of the Akali activist. So far, the police have arrested Rajan and five others including three Punjab Police personnel in the case.

Dimpa had pleaded before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab, requesting that election in the constituency should be held before February 27, the day the results for 116 segments were declared. However, the EC stuck to its stand and turned down all pleas of the Congress candidate, who maintained that the poll could not be termed 'free and fair' after the declaration of the results in 116 constituencies.

UNI