Amarinder writes to Governor for repoll in Patiala MC

Patiala, Aug 8 (UNI) Former chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has asked Punjab Governor Gen (Retd) S F Rodgrigues to intervene and order repolling in the 50-member Patiala Municipal Corporation (MC) after getting the necessary intelligence inputs available.

''This will help to restore people's faith in the Indian democracy,'' he said in a letter to the Governor here today.

In the letter he had alleged large scale rigging by the SAD-BJP in Patiala and intimidation of voters and opposition candidates.

He alleged that all the 50 wards ''were seized'' by the SAD leaders ''who brought in rural people from the entire state for the elections''. The state Election Commission had totally failed and was incapable of conducting free and fair polls.

Capt Singh claimed in the letter that Election Commissioner A K Dubey had not been available since yesterday and could not be reached even today to bring to his notice the use of muscle power by the SAD-BJP. Senior police officers of the rank of DSP and below were openly conniving with the Akali hoodlums and coercing the people to vote for the Akali-BJP candidates, he alleged.

UNI