Punjab: Rajpura AAP MLA gets notice, Ferozepur BSP candidate booked for recording voting

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Neena Mittal was issued a notice for violating the election model code of conduct (MCC) by using her cell phone to videograph her casting the vote at a polling booth in Rajpura on Saturday.

The MLA, who represents the Rajpura assembly segment, went on to share the video on her X account. Later, she deleted the post.

Returning officer Showkat Ahmad Parray said that the use of mobile phones was not allowed inside the polling booth. He said that a notice had been issued to Mittal.

A notice was also issued to Sangrur BJP candidate Arvind Khanna for sporting the party symbol inside the polling booth. The Sangrur returning officer reiterated that no one is allowed to show any party symbol within 100 metres of a polling booth on voting day.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Ferozepur Lok Sabha candidate Surinder Kamboj was also filmed by an unidentified person using the electronic voting machine (EVM).

Ferozepur returning officer Rajesh Dhiman said a probe was initiated after the matter came to his notice via social media. A case was registered against Surinder Kamboj at Guru Har Sahai police station under Section 171 of the IPC and Sections 126 and 132 of the Representation of People Act.

The candidate’s son, Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj, is the AAP legislator from Jalalabad.

Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had to wait for a while to cast his vote owing to the malfunctioning of the VVPAT machine at the polling booth in Sangrur.

Returning officer Jitendra Jorwal said the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine was immediately replaced. “Polling is going smoothly after we changed the VVPAT machine,” he added.

Mann appealed to the people of Punjab to vote and “choose good representatives” who can work for them. “People of Punjab are aware and they vote in large numbers. We should use our right to vote. I appeal to Punjabis to come out of their homes and vote and choose good representatives who can work for you. Today, I have cast my vote with my wife. There was some issue with VVPAT machine (at the polling booth) and the officials replaced it,” the Punjab CM said.

Mann’s wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur appealed to the women of the state to come out and vote in large numbers. “I appeal to women to come out and vote in large numbers. We should also contribute to electing a good government that can work for us,” she said.

Sangrur constituency is seeing a contest between Congress’ Sukhpal Singh Khaira, BJP’s Arvind Khanna, AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Iqbal Singh Jhundan and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate Simranjit Singh Mann.

Voting for all 13 seats in Punjab is underway in a single phase in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections. (With inputs by Gaurav Sagar Bhaskar in Ferozepur)