Highlighting the party’s core values, Sukhbir Singh Badal emphasised the priority of principles and issues over political numbers….reports Asian Lite News
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal, reiterated the party’s steadfast commitment to principles over mere political calculations, stating that unlike some national parties, the Shiromani Akali Dal is more than a political entity as “it is a 103-year-old movement with a clear vision and unwavering principles”.
While talking to the media, Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Tuesday, “Shiromani Akali Dal is not just a political party driven by number games, unlike some national parties. We are a 103-year-old movement with a clear vision and we have always stood by and for principles. That will continue to be our goal. The Shiromani Akali Dal core committee has already made our position and priorities clear.”
Highlighting the party’s core values, Badal emphasised the priority of principles and issues over political numbers. He stated, “For us, it is principles above politics and issues above any political numbers.”
Furthermore, Badal underscored the Shiromani Akali Dal’s historical role in championing the rights of farmers and its commitment to their welfare.
“We are the largest democratic representative organisation of farmers and have always led the fight for their rights from the front and introduced historic measures in government for their welfare. Our party stands by high principles and is committed to safeguarding Panth and Panjab,” Sukhbir Singh Badal said.
Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party leader Daljit Singh Cheema announced the date of the party’s core committee meeting, stating that the party will primarily focus on the strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“The core committee meeting is going to happen on March 22 at the party head office in Chandigarh. The election strategy of the Parliamentary elections will be finalised. Furthermore, the political situation of the state where everything happening at the national level will also be thoroughly discussed in the core committee,” said Daljit Singh Cheema.
Earlier, on a day the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) named s candidates for 8 of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal denied reaching any alliance with the BJP but did not entirely rule out the possibility of a tie-up in future.
The Akalis were partners of the BJP earlier in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and the two even contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state together but failed to come up with the goods.
However, seeking to dispel rumours that the two parties could be costing up again ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and might even announce a seat-sharing deal in Punjab, the SAD chief said neither his party nor the BJP has any knowledge of an alliance in the state.
Claiming that such speculations were only confined to social media platforms, he said his party was keen to continue its tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the state.
The SAD snapped ties with the BJP and exited the NDA in September 2020 over the contentious farm laws of the Centre. The laws, however, were repealed later in the face of farmer protests. (ANI)
100% Webcasting of Polling Stations in Punjab
Aiming to make electoral process more efficient and transparent in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said that they are closely monitoring the election process through 100 per cent webcasting of poll stations.
“For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, CCTV surveillance will be ensured inside all 24,433 polling booths, apart from it cameras will be installed outside 1884 polling stations in all 13 constituencies where there are three or more polling stations,” he said.
Sibin C said that they have introduced a revamped NextGen District Information System for Elections (DISE) this time.
“It will be used to manage all aspects of elections, from collecting data of polling staff to scheduling rehearsals, randomizing polling staff and counting staff. This modernization aims to make elections more efficient, transparent, and secure,” he said.
The CEO said that this web-based application is utilized to integrate available employee data from other applications using APIs/CSV/Excel files.
“It will also assist in managing staff shortages after the initial stage by deploying additional staff,” he said.
CEO Sibin C also said that live streaming from flying squad vehicles (FSV), and static surveillance teams are monitoring violations of the model code of conduct during election process.
“The poll activity management system (PAMS) used for deploying polling parties and updating voting information, such as the commencement of polling and the status of voter queues at closing hours, has also been revamped to enhance the efficiency of election-related activities. The mobile app will provide real-time data,” he said.
The CEO further said that other innovative initiatives by the Election Commission of India, including the Voter Helpline APP, providing citizens with convenience in finding their names in the electoral roll, submitting online forms, downloading their digital photo voter slip, filing complaints, and receiving replies on their mobile app.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 52 seats.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 282 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 44 seats. (ANI)
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