Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 6 : Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Sibin C, sought an action-taken report from the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday after the Punjab BJP delegation raised concern over the law and order situation that the party's candidates were being prevented from campaigning in the state.
According to the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab, "A state BJP delegation today met the CEO at his office here and raised concern over the conduct of free and fair elections and the right to campaign."
The delegation expressed apprehension about the safety of their candidates during elections in the state and submitted a detailed complaint letter.
Subsequently, the CEO asked the DGP to submit a fact-finding and action-taken report in this regard.
Earlier on May 2, the Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed 15 expenditure observers for various Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab.
The expenditure observers are entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the expenditure incurred by candidates and political parties during the campaign period, ensuring compliance with election expenditure regulations, said an official statement from the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab.
In Punjab, voting for its 13 seats will take place in a single phase, with the seventh and final phase on June 1 seeing voting in Gurudaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala constituencies.
This year, the Lok Sabha polls began on April 19 for 102 seats spread across 21 states. Following this, Phase 2 was held on April 26 and the third phase will be held on May 7, involving 94 seats across 12 states.
Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha polls is slated to be held on May 13, involving 96 seats and Phase 5 is scheduled to be held on May 20 for 49 seats, and Phase 6 is set for May 25, covering 7 states with 57 seats.