Campaigning for Dhuri bypoll ends

Campaigning for Dhuri bypoll ended today at 6 PM, 48 hours before the polling day for which comprehensive arrangements have been made, Election Commission today said.
V K Singh, Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, said that active campaigning by political parties has come to an end in Dhuri Assembly constituency today at 6 PM today and arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair and transparent election.
He said with active campaigning coming to end, the candidates or their supporters could go for door to door campaigning but they should not be more than five in numbers.
Liquor vends in Sangrur district, especially in Dhuri, will remain closed till the completion of polling on April 11.

Polling area had already been declared tobacco and smoke free as the state has banned use of tobacco in any form, he said.
The CEO further said the district and police administration have been asked to ensure that the campaigning political functionaries and outsiders leave immediately after the campaign period is over.

The CEO has also directed to set-up check posts in the constituency borders to track the vehicular movement from outside the constituency.
Dhuri by-poll which is slated to be held on April 11 will see a contest between SAD candidate and former minister Gobind Singh Longowal and Congress-Sanjha Morcha candidate Simar Partap Singh Barnala, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala.

The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Arvind Khanna resigned from the Assembly in January.
Khanna was expelled from the party yesterday for six years for resigning from the Assembly "without taking state or central party leadership into confidence".