AAP has stolen Samiti and Parishad elections in league with the SEC and Punjab Police - SAD (Dr Daljit S Cheema and Arshdeep S Kler demand a judicial probe into the functioning of the SEC) (Highlight incidents of coordinated attacks on polling stations and widespread rigging by AAP) Chandigarh, December 14 - The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had stolen the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections in league with the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Punjab Police and demanded a judicial probe into the functioning of the SEC as well as it’s immediate removal. The SAD will also approach the State Governor and appeal to him to take action in the matter besides taking legal recourse. Addressing a press conference here, senior leaders Dr Daljit Singh Cheema and Arshdeep Singh Kler said for the first time in the history of the State a ruling party had captured polling booths by using arms and weapons and attacked opposition workers and indulged in widespread rigging. “Many of our workers have been injured at Qazikot in Tarn Taran, Talwandi Dasondha Singh in Majitha, Naushehra Majasingh in Batala, Kingra in Malout, Madhir and Babania in Gidderbaha and at Dharamkot”. Asserting that AAP goons had indulged in firing at several places in coordinated attacks and even used proclaimed offenders to attack the polling staff in Talwandi Dasondha Singh, Dr Daljit Cheema said “democracy has been murdered. The SEC has not only failed to conduct the Panchayati Raj institution elections fairly but has become a hatchet of the Aam Aadmi Party. This has eroded faith of Punjabis in grass root democracy and urgent corrective steps are needed to rectify this situation”. Asserting that the entire electioneering process had been vitiated as part of a planned conspiracy, Dr Cheema said the ballot papers were handed over to AAP candidates in advance. “Even though we bought the issue of release of the ballot papers by AAP candidate Amarinder Singh Madofal in Fatehgarh Sahib ten hours before polling to State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary no action has been taken in the matter”. Dr Cheema and Mr Kler said the AAP government also prevailed upon government officials to delete votes in the elections. They said there were widespread reports of votes being deleted in Ludhiana and Rajpura to help AAP candidates secure victories. They also gave instances of ballot boxes not being sealed properly as was witnessed in Majitha and the case of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal getting the gates of a counting centre in Deon Khera in Lambi opened after they were closed due to an attack by AAP goons. EOM