Repolling: Sensitive Majitha clocks a turnout of 78%

MAJITHA: No untoward incident was reported during the repolling at 28 booths of the highly-sensitive Majitha assembly constituency of Amritsar district on Thursday, with the provisional voter turnout standing at 78%. However, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders accused the incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of intimidating their supporters and bringing in outsiders in the constituency.
The repolling was held amidst heavy security with the police and paramilitary forces taking out a flag march in the Majitha town to instil a sense of security among voters.
Despite thick layer of early morning fog and biting cold, long queues of voters were seen in front of the polling booths at 7.30 am, half an hour before the voting was to start. Candidates of all political parties were seen taking a round of the polling booths and expressing their gratitude to voters for turning out in large numbers.
Claiming that they were the cleanest party, AAP’s candidate from Majitha assembly constituency Himmat Singh Shergill added, “Police have arrested Akalis and Congress workers and leaders. None of AAP’s leaders or volunteers has been caught. We don’t believe in use of muscle and money power in polling process and this is the reason we are getting immense support from voters.”
SAD candidate Bikram Singh Majithia, who went to booth number 35 to cast his vote, accused the Congress leaders and workers of indulging in malpractice and using all “unfair tricks” to garner votes. “But people are with us,” he said, adding that Congress leaders were blaming SAD out of frustration.
Congress’s candidate Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia said their party had filed as many as 20 complaints with the poll panel. “There are outsiders in the constituency. Akali leaders are moving in group of over a dozen cars and are intimidating people,” he alleged.
Amritsar Lok Sabha byelection candidate of the Congress, Gurjit Singh Aujla, who was visiting ward number 1 polling booth in Majitha, also alleged, “Ignoring the Election Commission directions, Akali leaders were moving in cavalcade of cars.”
AAP media coordinator Sukhdeep Singh Sidhu claimed that Akali leaders misbehaved with their party workers in Babuwal village.
Majitha DSP Harsimrat Singh Chhetra said police had registered a case against three outsider AAP supporters who were found in Babuwal. “There was no other incident in the constituency,” he added.