Chandigarh:
The Election Commission has approved the proposal for setting up of 30 counting centres for 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab.
The 30 counting centres will be set up in 23 different cities and towns, officials said today.
Punjab's Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Raminder Singh said that as per the directions of the Election Commission, one model polling station having facilities like drinking water, chairs, toilets and ramps would be set up in each sub-division.
He also said that Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) of Sardulgarh Rajdeep Singh Brar has been transferred on account of incompetence and disobedience of orders of the Returning Officer.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary has been asked to send a panel of officers for appointment as ARO there. Arrangements are being made for webcasting at 750 polling booths.
The additional CEO informed that today three candidates - Mamta (Sarvjan Samaj Party) from Gurdaspur, Surinder Kumar (Independent) from Bathinda and Iqbal Singh (Republican Party of India) from Fatehgarh Sahib - have withdrawn their nominations.
With this now 277 candidates are left in the fray in the state. Saturday is the last date of withdrawal of nomination and elections will be held on April 30. Besides, till date 2,43,763 licenced weapons have been deposited and 368 absconders have been arrested after
imposition of the Model Code of Conduct in the state.
Supreet Singh Gulati, another additional CEO, informed that till date 57 FIRs have been registered regarding violations of MCC throughout the state.
He said that 38,000 posters were also removed and out of which 30,000 were in Ludhiana alone. He said that 110 Kg of Poppy Husk has been recovered in Hoshiarpur, 750 litres of illicit liquor in Gurdaspur and 9,500 bottles of country liquor in Ferozepur.
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh asked the heads and representatives of regional news channels to play an impartial role in ensuring equal coverage without any bias towards any political party or candidate in the ongoing general elections.