Ludhiana (National Times): The Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll witnessed significant chaos at polling booth number 72 on Thursday morning during voting, as a woman raised serious allegations of vote tampering, escalating tensions at the site.
Mamta Ashu, wife of Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, was present at the booth and engaged in a heated argument with the police. She accused the police of failing to maintain impartiality in the voting process and acting in favor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora.
AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora was also present at the booth, further intensifying the controversy. Mamta Ashu claimed that irregularities were occurring in the voting process and alleged that the police, instead of registering complaints, were targeting Congress supporters.
The incident unfolded when a female voter loudly protested, claiming her vote had been tampered with. This sparked a gathering of Congress supporters, who began raising slogans against the police, accusing them of bias.
The police attempted to control the situation, but Mamta Ashu’s confrontation with police officials aggravated the matter. The Election Commission has not yet issued an official statement on the incident, but sources indicate that the district election officer has been asked to submit a report on the matter.
In this bypoll, 1.74 lakh voters are deciding the fate of 14 candidates. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 23. This incident raises questions about the fairness of the electoral process and could further escalate tensions between political parties.
