Harsimrat alleges 'misuse of official machinery' for Gurdaspur debacle

New Delhi, Oct 16: Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday blamed alliance partner BJP’s dismal performance in the recently held Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-election to alleged 'high-handedness’’ of the ruling Congress government in Punjab. Speaking to the UNI she said it was not a free and fair election. She charged the Amarinder Singh government with “misuse of official machinery and murder of democracy” allegedly by not allowing BJP-SAD voters to come out and vote. The Congress won the seat with a thumping majority, while the BJP candidate finished a distant second. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna, in April. "Before the election non-bailable FIRs were registered against 24 people and 500 additional unknown people! Not only were people threatened, beaten and sent to hospitals but sarpanchs were told that if there were more anti-Congress votes from their villages they would be implicated in cases with no bail. (Otherwise) there was no reason for such a low turnout of voters in such a big election.’’ Ms Badal said even during the previous BJP-SAD rule, two or three by-elections were held but never was the voter turnout lower than 60 to 70 per cent. “This time it was only around 55 per cent because people were not allowed to come out and vote.’’ UNI