Turncoats Drive Panjab to Crossroads; Supreme Courts Hears EVM Petitions

For the upcoming Indian general elections, last week SAD fielded seven candidates, INC fielded six candidates, and AAP fielded four more candidates in addition to earlier five out of the total thirteen seats. SAD is fielding senior party leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. INC is fielding Sukhpal Khaira from AAP CM Bhagwant Mann’s bastion Sangrur and former INC CM Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar. In Amritsar, former BJP leader Anil Joshi will take on stalwart Sikh leader Teja Singh Samundri’s grandson Taranjit Singh Sandhu fielded by BJP, both will face sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla. In many seats, turncoats are taking on each other. In Patiala, former AAP leader and MP Dharamvir Gandhi now from INC is pitted against former INC leader and MP Preneet Kaur now fielded by BJP. AAP legislator Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj’s father Surinder Kamboj joined the BSP and the Mayawati-led party’s candidate from Ferozepur. Indian Administrative Service officer and senior SAD leader Sikander Singh Maluka's daughter-in-law Parampal Kaur Sidhu has joined BJP and is contesting from Bathinda. Meanwhile, on 16 Apr the Indian Supreme Court heard a slew of cases on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. That the voting process in India is not transparent has been a position held by the opposition in India, including the BJP when it was out of power. The thrust of the arguments is that individuals or parties in power can manipulate the machines. The court agreed that ‘human intervention creates problems’ but seems inclined towards EVMs over fears of booth capturing if paper ballots are allowed and the pragmatics of 1B citizens voting. The next hearing is 18 Apr. Elections begin 19 Apr (SDW Vol. Vol. 2 Issue 12, Story 9).