"A step towards justice": Punjab LoP Pratap Singh Bajwa welcomes HC order on panchayat elections

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 9 : Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa welcomed the High Court's stay of Panchayat elections in over 200 villages on Wednesday.
He further said that many people had been denied their fundamental rights and urged the court to take cognizance of the matter.
In a post on X, he said that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government has misused their power to deny people their fundamental rights.
https://x.com/Partap_Sbajwa/status/1844013195184206335
Earlier on October 7 in another X post, the Punjab LoP had highlighted poll related violence in the state, claiming that the government had failed to ensure a peaceful panchayat election.
"The AAPPunjab government has utterly failed to ensure peaceful and orderly Panchayat Polls. In Amritsar, a Congress worker tragically lost her life, while four others remain critically injured due to poll-related violence in recent days," the post read.
Moreover, Advocate Kuljinder Singh, one of the advocates for the petitioners, claimed that the government used various methods to deny people their right to file a nomination, including tearing off nomination papers, forging signatures.
"The ruling regime did not let people file their nominations, returning officers tore nomination papers, and in many cases, nominations were withdrawn by forging signatures. After going through everything, the HC has given a stay order," he told ANI.
"The court told us (lawyers) to give a synopsis, and the allegations are really serious. The court has also observed that this is a murder of democracy. A lot of people have been beaten up," he added.
Earlier, the Punjab High Court stayed the election process in select villages where complaints had been registered regarding complications faced by candidates in filing their nominations.
The High Court received approximately 250 petitions alleging irregularities in the election process.
The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for October 14.
The Punjab State Election Commission had announced that the Gram Panchayat elections would be held on October 15, with nominations opening on September 27. The elections were set to take place for 13,237 'Sarpanches' and 83,437 'Panches'.
Earlier on October 2, candidates from AAP and Congress clashed in Zira town, Ferozepur district, Punjab Police had confirmed.
"Candidates from AAP and Congress who had come here to file their nominations clashed, and an incident of stone pelting occurred. Police immediately intervened, and we are taking action as per the law, with an FIR to be registered. Currently, the situation is under control," Ferozepur SSP Somya Mishra said while speaking to ANI.