Bathinda, April 12
Congress-PPP-CPI joint candidate Manpreet Badal today sought the immediate transfer of District Returning Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav after he awarded the kite symbol to his namesake “dummy” candidate.

He also termed Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh “helpless” in front of the SAD-BJP state government. The People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) had contested the last Assembly elections on the kite symbol.

Yadav claimed that Independent candidate Manpreet Singh got the kite symbol by sheer luck in a draw of lots, which was video-filmed.

Manpreet Singh is a small-time labourer from Badal village from where both the families of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Manpreet Badal hail from.

Manpreet Badal has, in a complaint sent to the Election Commissioner of India, doubted Yadav’s “neutrality” and sought his immediate transfer.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was also in the city, said Manpreet was indulging in antics for the fear of losing. “He blames SAD for everything bad that happens to him. We didn’t ask him to form the PPP or join sides with the Congress.”

Manpreet Badal said Yadav had been serving as Deputy Commissioner here for over two years. He also alleged that the Returning Officer had also allowed his namesake Manpreet Singh from Badal village to use the Badal surname.

He claimed the draw conducted to allot poll symbols to the candidates was rigged. “There were so many candidates who wanted to contest on the ‘kite’ symbol, but the draw went in my namesake’s favour,” he said.

Manpreet accused Yadav of being a “kamau putt” (earning hand) of the Akalis.

“He has been given plum postings in the past couple of years. When I met him today and raised questions about the draw, he seemed to be under tremendous pressure from the state government. I will go to the Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh although I know he too is helpless,” he said.

Defending the decision and his impartiality, Yadav told The Tribune that the PPP did not block or book the kite symbol. “According to the rules of Election Commission of India (ECI), the registered but unrecognised parties have to write to the ECI requesting for the registration of the symbol. In the case of PPP, we did not get any such intimation from the ECI.

“There were two Independent candidates -- Jagdeep Singh and Manpreet Badal -- who asked for kite as their election symbol. As it was a tie, we asked the two if we could decide it by tossing a coin. “As they did not agree, two chits were prepared, one blank and another mentioning the kite word in it. In the presence of both candidates, observers and under videography, the two Independent candidates drew a chit each. Jagdeep got the blank chit and Manpreet Badal got the one with kite written on it.”

He said that RO could not refuse any candidate from suffixing a word behind his or her name as has been the case of Independent candidate Manpreet Badal.