Ludhiana: Ration truck seized on poll eve, meant for voters, says Cong
Just hours before the Ludhiana West bypoll, tension gripped Sham Nagar as Mamta Ashu, former municipal councillor and wife of Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, intercepted a truck allegedly carrying ration meant to influence voters.
According to Mamta Ashu, she was tipped off by local party workers that a truck filled with sacks of ration had arrived in Sham Nagar for distribution ahead of the vote. Acting on the information, she and her team rushed to the spot and halted the vehicle. The incident was streamed live on Facebook and covered by several media outlets.
Mamta Ashu said, 'When we questioned the truck driver in front of mediapersons and on Facebook Live, he clearly stated that the truck and ration did not belong to him. He claimed a traffic police officer from Khanna City-1 police station got the truck refueled and directed him to deliver the ration sacks to two specific locations in Sham Nagar.'
She further alleged that before the truck was caught, some of the ration had already been unloaded at a house in the locality. Despite her insistence, she claimed the police did not conduct a search at the suspected location. 'We demanded that the police check the house where the ration was dropped, but they refused to take action. We have now submitted a complaint through the C-Vigil app,' she added.
Assistant commissioner of police (Civil Lines) Guriqbal Singh confirmed that the truck has been seized and that an investigation is underway. 'We have taken possession of the vehicle. The driver's statement is being recorded and we are verifying the claims made by the Congress, including the alleged involvement of a traffic policeman from Khanna,' said the ACP.
Mamta Ashu said, 'We have submitted a formal complaint to the Election Commission and are demanding the registration of FIR. We are still waiting for the police to take legal action.'
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Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Ludhiana West assembly bypoll sees 33% voter turnout till 1pm
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The Hindu
37 minutes ago
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Time of India
42 minutes ago
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Punjab saw a voter turnout of 21.51 percent till 11 am in the polling for the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll. The Ludhiana West Assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora reached a polling station along with his family members to exercise his franchise. Before casting votes, Arora paid obeisance at a gurdwara, a temple and the Dargah Pir in Phillaur. Speaking to reporters, Arora appealed to the people to come out in large numbers to cast their votes. "Please come out to vote and have maximum voting today," he said. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP nominee Jiwan Gupta and SAD's Parupkar Singh Ghuman also cast their votes. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appealed to voters to cast their votes in the bypoll. "My appeal to the voters of Ludhiana West is that you must exercise your right to vote. You must fulfil your duty for the development and progress of your area. Do not consider today a holiday, definitely go and cast your vote," Mann said in a post on X in Punjabi. The ruling AAP has fielded Rajya Sabha member Arora for the bypoll. Arora (61) is a Ludhiana-based industrialist and is also known for his social welfare runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust. The Congress has placed its bet on former minister and Punjab Congress working president Ashu (51). Ashu had been MLA twice from this seat in 2012 and 2017. He was defeated by Gogi by a margin of 7,512 votes in the 2022 Assembly polls. The BJP candidate is a member of the core committee of Punjab BJP . He was earlier the party's state general secretary. The Ludhiana West bypoll is seen as a litmus test for Mann and the ruling party's national leadership which aggressively campaigned to retain this seat. The bypoll results will be declared on June 23.
