Over 15 lakh voters will decide the fate of 11 candidates contesting in Gurdaspur parliamentary by-election on Wednesday which is being termed as a litmus test for the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Polling for the by-election will be held at 1,781 polling stations where as many as 15,22,922 voters will cast their votes for candidates of their choice.
The Congress has fielded senior party leader Sunil Jakhar while the BJP’s candidate is Swarn Salaria. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the main Opposition party in state Assembly has fielded Major General Suresh Khajuria (retd).
“We have made all the elaborate arrangements for the peaceful conduct of by-election. We have identified 83 critical polling stations in the constituency along with 457 vulnerable points,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), VK Singh, told The Statesman.
A total of 30 companies of paramilitary forces and 20 companies of Punjab Armed Police (PAP) has been deployed to keep a round the corner vigil.
The by-election is the first electoral test in Punjab since the Assembly elections in March, which saw the Congress return to power, grabbing 77 of the 117 seats.
The result for the by-election will be announced on 15 October.
The seat fell vacant following the death of BJP lawmaker and movie veteran Vinod Khanna earlier in April this year. For Congress, it is seen as a must win situation as the present state government is facing acute criticism on key issues like farmer loan waiver, employment and compensation for farmers to deal with stubble residues.
However, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh had earlier said that the notification on the farmer loan waiver will be released soon. On the other hand, the contest is also not easy for the BJP, which is relying on the Hindu vote bank in Gurdaspur. The BJP candidate Swaran Salaria is also facing the allegations in connection with a rape case in 2014 in Mumbai.
However, in a boost to the saffron party, the Apna Punjab Party (APP) leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur, having a handful vote bank in the constituency, has decided to support BJP. The main Opposition party in the Assembly, AAP is looking to expand its electoral footprint. The party won four seats from the state in the general elections in 2014 and 20 seats in the assembly elections.