A senior BJP leader today wrote to the Election Commission seeking deployment of paramilitary forces and videography of polling booths for the October 11 Gurdaspur bypoll in Punjab, alleging that the ruling Congress was using state machinery to threaten political opponents.
In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Manoranjan Kaliaalso demanded that all officers who hail from Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency be immediately shifted out of the area.
He alleged that the Congress was using state machinery for political gains and "it had broken all records of violation of the Model Code of Conduct in order to win the Gurdaspur seat by hook or by crook".
"We have brought to your kind notice a number of instances where ruling Congress is misusing government machinery. The local police are being used to threaten the political opponents," he alleged.
He also sought deployment of paramilitary forces in all booths of the constituency and videography of all booths.
Kalia named certain police and administrative officials who, he alleged, "were openly campaigning for the Congress and putting pressure on the BJP's supporters to support the ruling party". He demanded that they be shifted out immediately.
"We have been informed that many other officers who belong to Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency and who should have been posted out as per the instructions of the ECI, have also managed to retain their place of posting with the connivance of district administration," he alleged.
The Gurdaspur bypoll, scheduled for October 11, was necessitated following the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna earlier this year.
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