Updated 10:12 IST | Wednesday, February 22, 2012



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Punjab polls: Candidates devise inventive methods to distribute liquor

Punjab Newsline Network

Friday, 27 January 2012

By Naresh Kumar Sharma

CHANDIGARH: With just three days to go for assembly elections in Punjab , the candidates contesting in various assembly segments were desperate to device different ways and means as a last-ditch effort to woo the voters. Enticing the voters with liquor is also one of the options but due to strict watch of the Election Commission, the candidates had been made or rather forced to use various forms of inventive methods to tempt the voters especially in the rural areas.

Reports from Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bhatinda and other areas said that voters were being provided some sort of specific chit on which they can go to the liquor vendor and get the needed quantity of liquor as desired. Such sort of method is not only making the candidates avoid the pricking eye of EC but also helping in wooing the voters in certain areas. Interestingly, the chits are of specific colour and signatures made on it are recognized by the liquor vendors.As the polling date draws closer, the candidates in the respective assembly segments are making frantic efforts to garner the votes by resorting to whatever possible methods by avoiding coming under the microscope of EC. 

So far,over 80 lakh litres of Indian Made Foreign (IMF) liquor has been seized  during the ongoing elections campaign. There had been also reports of liquor being pumped into the bordering assembly segments from neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. Himachal police some days seized significant quality of liquor being smuggled in a vehicle at Nurpur bordering Pathankot town of Punjab.  

Besides this, a week ago, 183 cartons of alcohol were seized from a truck in assembly segment of Akali Dal candidate Bibi Jagir Kaur'. She (Kaur) has been booked for allegedly bribing voters. Another Akali Dal candidate, Swaroop Singla, also landed in trouble after organizing a party for more than 200 people in a resort in Bhatinda, where booze flowed freely.The Congress candidate Rajinder Beri from Jalandhar Central constituency has also been booked for bribing voters. 

The Special CEO Punjab Usha R Sharma said that Election Commission has been trying its best to contain all illegal activities of candidates including  stopping the flow of liquor in the state. 

The political analysts say that EC has done very good job in terms of curbing flow of liquor during the poll campaign. However, they said that political parties and their candidates are working on different strategies to distribute liquor and other similar things to get the voters on their side. They said that desperation is the main reason behind such activities as candidates from concerning assembly segments do not feel confident that clean campaign could ensure their victory. 




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