Punjab BJP to call on Guv over irregularities in Abohar civic polls

Chandigarh, July 10 (IANS) A delegation of the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by state President Kewal Singh Dhillon, will call on the Governor of Punjab on Saturday to submit a memorandum alleging irregularities and misuse of official machinery during the conduct of the Abohar Municipal Corporation mayoral polls.

The memorandum will detail the party's concerns about the alleged high-handedness of the state government and its officials in conducting the election.

The party will urge the Governor to intervene to ensure transparency, fairness, accountability, and strict adherence to democratic norms and the rule of law, the party said in a statement on Friday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government secured a win in the Abohar Municipal Corporation and the Morinda Municipal Council on Friday. However, both the BJP and the Congress smelled foul play, as they claimed that despite the numbers, the government functionaries carried out strong-arm tactics through the misuse of power.

BJP's National Information and Technology Department in-charge Amit Malviya wrote on X that when democratic norms are compromised, the usual chorus of self-appointed guardians of democracy is expected to demand answers. But when the party facing serious questions is AAP, the silence is deafening.

He said in Abohar, despite the BJP being the single largest party with 28 councillors, the AAP candidate was declared Mayor after a secret ballot that has now come under a cloud.

Serious allegations have been raised: an unexplained postponement of the election, no video recording of the ballot counting, and claims that the Returning Officer simply announced the result without any transparent verification before attempting to leave.

Malviya further said if even a fraction of these allegations had surfaced in a BJP-ruled state, there would have been wall-to-wall outrage, press conferences, editorials, and lectures on the 'murder of democracy'.

He questioned where the usual suspects, activists, commentators, and Opposition leaders who never miss an opportunity to sermonise on democratic values are now.

Malviya further said democracy cannot have different standards for different political parties. If transparency matters, it must matter irrespective of who is in power. The people of Punjab deserve answers, not selective outrage.

--IANS

vg/dan