Chandigarh/December 15, 2025
Kapurthala Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh on Sunday raised serious allegations of large-scale irregularities in the elections to Zila Parishads and Block Samitis held across Punjab, accusing the State Election Commission and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of undermining the democratic process.
Addressing the media, Rana Gurjeet Singh said that Form 17-C, a crucial document that records the exact number of votes polled at each polling station, was not issued to representatives of political parties and their polling agents during the elections held on December 14. According to the law maker the representatives of the political parties other than that of the rulling party were forcibly evicted from the polling stations which he described this omission as a “grave violation” of established electoral norms.
At a number of places there are reports of force being used on them by the police and civil administration, which Rana Gurjeet Singh termed as against the democratic principles.
The Congress legislator said complaints of unfair means were pouring in from almost all districts of the state. “By not issuing Form 17-C, the State Election Commission has failed to disclose the exact number of votes polled at individual polling stations. This lack of transparency raises serious doubts and clearly smacks of wrongdoing,” he alleged.
Rana Gurjeet Singh further claimed that the non-issuance of the form creates ample scope for manipulation of votes in favour of candidates belonging to the ruling party. “There is every possibility that the votes polled for candidates of different political parties can be tampered with to allegedly benefit candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party,” he said.
Questioning the conduct of the AAP government, the Kapurthala MLA said he was unable to understand why the ruling party was resorting to such practices. “AAP leaders, including MLAs and ministers, repeatedly claim that they enjoy immense popularity in Punjab. If that is the case, why is the government so worried that it has to indulge in wrong practices during rural body elections?” he asked.
Demanding immediate intervention, Rana Gurjeet Singh urged the State Election Commission to take strict action against those involved in the alleged illegal practices. He also called for the cancellation of the affected polls and the conduct of re-elections in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
The Congress leader further alleged that the entire polling process had been mired in controversy right from the filing of nominations. “People of Punjab are watching closely. Those contesting these grassroots-level elections are ordinary citizens of the state, and they would never want elections to be conducted in such a shoddy and questionable manner,” he said, warning that the credibility of the democratic process was at stake
