31052024-LT-01.qxd 5/31/2024 1:04 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune EFFERVESCENT CHAOS REINS AT ‘BULLDOZER BABA’S’ RALLY CELEBS SAY SMOKING SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL KHELA TO HOLD THREE-DAY FEST AT TAGORE THEATRE Though hundreds of copswere deputed, managing crowds remained a hard task at the UP CM’s rally. P2 Shiwani Chakraborty says tobacco-free world will be a healthier, cleaner and more pleasant place for everyone. P4 To mark the completion of their 10 yrs in theatre industry, Khela organised a theatre festival at Tagore Theatre. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 45°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 46.1°C | MIN 32°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.18 PM » SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:22 AM FRIDAY | 31 MAY 2024 | LUDHIANA Rape victim protesting against Bains thrashed by group Ludhiana, May 30 The victim of a rape case was thrashed by a group of people when she was protesting near Arora Palace against Simarjit Singh Bains during his campaigning in support of Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. According to Harish Rai Dhanda, the advocate of the victim, she was standing at a corner with a banner in her hand, opposing the Congress and Bains. “Son of Bains came near the woman, stared at her. After 15 minutes, around six women and two men came to the spot, started abusing the victim and thrashed her. Her two gunmen tried to protect her. The miscreants also snatched away the banner from her hands. She was saved by the gunmen. Again, she went to a nearby shop and got prepared another banner and stood in the middle of the Chowk, protesting against Bains,” Dhanda said. Afterwards, the police came and rounded her up. Dhanda reached the Shimlapuri police station and lodged a complaint against the six women, two men, Simarjit Singh Bains, his son and others. The victim was sent for a medical check-up. — TNS Now, it’s over to electorate INDIA VOTES 2024 MP Bittu, PPCC chief Warring, AAP MLA Pappi, SAD’s Dhillon among state’s max 43 aspirants in poll fray in dist Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 30 As the clamour of electioneering came to an end at 6 pm on Thursday, candidates shifted their focus to door-todoor canvassing and personal contacts in all 14 Assembly segments — Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Payal, Dakha, Raikot and Jagraon — of Ludhiana district, falling under Ludhiana (9) and Fatehgarh Sahib (5) Lok Sabha seats. An electorate of 26,94,622, including 14,35,624 male, 12,58,847 female, and 151 third gender, will decide the political fate of as many as 57 candidates (43 in Ludhiana and 14 in Fatehgarh Sahib) in the fray. In a record of sorts, the count of voters in Ludhiana district and nominees from Ludhiana are the highest in the state. In the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency, as many as 17,58,614 electorate comprised 9,37,094 male, 8,21,386 female, 134 third gender and 66 NRI voters. Three-time sit- Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring campaigns in Ludhiana on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO CANDIDATES IN FRAY KEY ISSUES Ludhiana: 43 Fatehgarh Sahib: 14 ■ Unemployment, drugs, sacrilege, BIG FIGHTS plight of farmers, traders and industrialists, inflation, deteriorating law and order situation and unkept poll promises. ■ Warring, Bittu and Pappi are heading for a close contest in ALL SET Ludhiana while sitting MP Dr Amar ■ Polling parties will leave for their Singh of the Congress is facing a respective destinations on Friday. challenge from AAP’s Gurpreet ■ Polling will be held on Saturday. Singh GP in Fatehgarh Sahib. ting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, AAP’s local MLA Ashok Parashar Pappi and SAD’s former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon are among the prominent candidates. Even as all candidates are putting in their best, Ludhiana is heading for a multi-cornered contest between the Centre’s ruling BJP the , state’s main Opposition Congress, the state’s ruling AAP and the SAD with each one of them slugging it out in the poll summer. c m y b In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Bittu had retained Ludhiana seat by defeating his nearest rival SAD’s Maheshinder Singh Grewal by a margin of 76,498 votes, which was almost four times the margin of 19,789 votes by which Bittu had won Ludhiana in 2014 by pipping his nearest rival AAP’s Harvinder Singh Phoolka. Bittu had won his maiden election from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. In the 2022 Assembly poll, the AAP had sprung a surprise by winning an unprecedented 13 of the total 14 Vidhan Sabha seats in Ludhiana district. The SAD’s Manpreet Singh Ayali was the only exception, who had retained his Dakha Assembly constituency. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress had won eight Vidhan Sabha seats, while AAP had emerged victorious in three, LIP two and SAD one seat. A visit to different parts of the state’s biggest and largest district, which sends a maximum of 14 MLAs, accounting for almost 12 per cent of the total 117 members to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, revealed that hundreds of party workers of the BJP , Congress, AAP and SAD were making last-ditch efforts to woo the voters. All main contestants presented their respective show of strength by taking out roadshows, leading to traffic chaos in Ludhiana and other parts of the district. The police also displayed their might by taking out flag marches. Flags, banners and posters are a common sight in rural areas while the emphasis is on door-to-door canvassing in urban areas. The BJP is banking on the performance of its 10-year rule at the Centre and the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition parties are calling for change while raising the issues of increasing unemployment, plight of farmers, traders and industrialists, rising drug menace, inflation, continued on page 3 Post-poll, AAP may join hands with Cong in state as well: Arora Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 30 A senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, has , said the ruling AAP and the main Opposition Congress may join hands in the state as well after the June 1 General Election. At present, both parties, which are part of the INDIA bloc, are fighting the poll separately in Punjab while they were contesting jointly in state capital Chandigarh, neighbouring Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat as well. The statement assumes significance as it came day after AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that his party had not married the Congress and was in alliance with it just for this election. Arora, who is the lone of the seven Rajya Sabha MPs of the AAP from the state, who is actively participating in the electioneering and pushing hard for the victory of party nominee Ashok Parashar Pappi in Ludhiana, said the top leaderships of both parties were in favour but local state units opposed Lone Rajya Sabha MP campaigning actively for party in state the AAP-Congress pre-poll alliance in Punjab. A leading industrialistturned-politician said all party MPs and other leaders should wholeheartedly work for the victory of AAP in the state and elsewhere. Not only in Ludhiana, Arora also put his weight behind AAP candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib LS constituency Gurpreet Singh GP during campaigning on Thursday. On the last day of the campaigning, they visited three industrial units of Ludhiana district — Arisudana Industries Limited, Deepak Fasteners Limited and Ganga Acrowools Ltd, which fall in the Fatehgarh Sahib segment. Gurpreet addressed industrial workers at industrial units and made an appeal to vote for him. He highlighted development works done by his party during the two years in the state. He said his party was committed to working for the people of the state and continued on page 3