'Opposition Has Already Accepted Defeat In Punjab Rural Polls': CM Bhagwant Mann Hits Back At Congress, SAD

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday hit out at the opposition parties, namely Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over their ``high-handedness’’ charges against ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in December 14 Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections and held that they had accepted their defeat in the polls.

It may be recalled that Congress leader and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had alleged that the AAP government had got fake ballot papers printed for the said polls.

Addressing newspersons here, Mann slammed the Opposition leaders and held that both Congress and SAD had already accepted their defeat in upcoming rural polls as they had begun accusing the ruling government of ``high-handedness’’ against opposition candidates.

Stating that out of 2,833 block samitis’ blocks, 340 AAP candidates, three of Congress and eight independent candidates had been elected unopposed, Mann said this amply showed there was no high-handedness of the AAP government.

Mann further held that while AAP has 2,771 candidates, Congress has 2,433, SAD, 1,814, BJP, 1,127, BSP, 195 and the SAD (Amritsar) has three candidates in the fray, how could the opposition parties allege that their candidates were stopped from filing their nomination papers or their papers were rejected by the AAP government.

In the total 347 Zila Parishad zones, the Congress is fighting in 331 zones, SAD in 298, BJP, 215, BSP, 50 and SAD (Amritsar) is fighting in 4 zones, he added.

Launching a sharp attack on the rival parties, Mann further held that their allegations showed that they have already accepted their defeat.