The District Election Officer of Gurdaspur has suspended six employees, including the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) of Fatehgarh Churian, for failing to properly implement the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the Fatehgarh Churian region, which falls under the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, a release said.
Following a complaint from the Fatehgarh Churian MLA regarding the installation of interlocking tiles in a government park, an investigation was conducted. The complaint was found to be valid, prompting an immediate suspension of the involved officials.
The suspended employees are Pargat Singh (BDPO), Kuljinder Singh (Village Development Officer), Major Singh (Panchayat Secretary), and William Masih, Sukhjit Singh, and Shamsher Singh (all Gram Rojgar Sevaks).
The results of the probe were confirmed by a representative of the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office, who also noted that the District President (Rural) of the Aam Aadmi Party Gurdaspur had received a notification.
In order to file a complaint against the agents in charge of the tile installation, a letter has also been issued to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). Om Prakash, the manager-cum-VDO of Kala Afgana, and Kuldeep Singh, the panchayat secretary of Kala Afgana, have been asked to face disciplinary action by the Director of Rural Development and Panchayats Department for not upholding the MCC.
In a same vein, a complaint about the distribution of cement benches in the village of Baddowal Kalan, Fatehgarh Churian, has been filed against Dilbagh Singh and Sukhwinder Singh.
CEO Sibin C urged all political parties and their delegates to make sure the MCC is followed. He claimed that Punjab had mostly succeeded in achieving its goal of having no code of conduct broken during an election campaign, something that the entire administration team and the Police Department had insisted upon since the very first day the MCC was put into effect.
Sibin C urged everyone to strictly follow the MCC with the polls only hours away, hoping to lead by example during this “festival of democracy.” Additionally, he inspired workers, poll workers, and security personnel to support the MCC during the 2024 Lok Sabha election’s last round.