Chandigarh, September 4: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged the State Election Commissioner to ensure that the candidates aspiring to contest from seats reserved for the Schedule Caste and Backward Classes in the zila parishad and panchayat samitis are issued caste certificates within 12 hours so that no aspirant was deprived of his right to contest.
In a letter written to the commission, SAD spokesman Daljeet Singh Cheema pointed out that the elections were announced on August 29 in the afternoon and publicised the next day through newspapers only. Since then the government offices in the state have remained shut and would open on Tuesday, when the process of nomination would begin, leaving the aspirant with no time to obtain the mandatory certificates.
Cheeema said all officers concerned from district magistrate to Kanungo and patwaris should be directed to ensure that such certificates were issued instantly, but not later than 12 hours.
“If this is not possible, the candidates should be allowed to file nominations along with an affidavit with an explicit provision to submit the caste certificate later,” he said.
Expressing shock, Cheema said the district administrations notified the reserved seats only after the announcement of the poll schedule. “Moreover, the voting lists are not available till date to political parties. How can anybody file an objection without cross-checking his name on the voters’ list?” asked Cheema.
“This hasty action only smacks of a conspiracy of the ruling party to deny an opportunity to the rivals to contest the polls,” he alleged.
Source Tribune India
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