328 candidates to contest for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab

Chandigarh: Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said on Friday said that a total of 328 candidates will contest the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, compared to 253 in 2014 and 278 candidates in 2019.

The CEO said that a total of 25 candidates have withdrawn their names by the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Earlier, 466 candidates had filed 598 nominations in the state. After the scrutiny and withdrawal of papers, the total number of candidates has come down to 328, including 302 male and 26 female candidates. The Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat has the highest number of candidates, with 43 in the fray, he said.

As it is now clear which candidates are in the fray, Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C urged all political parties and candidates to follow the ECI’s Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for peaceful and fair elections. He requested avoiding unverified allegations and distortions when criticizing others.

He prohibited the use of loudspeakers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. without prior written permission and asked for compliance with local traffic regulations. Political workers must display badges or identity cards and vehicle restrictions during the campaign and on polling day must be obeyed. Complaints should be reported to election officials.

Unofficial voter identity slips should be on plain white paper without symbols or candidate names. Non-voters and non-candidates must leave the constituency after the campaign. Corrupt practices, such as bribery and undue influence, and electoral offenses, such as canvassing within 100 meters of polling stations, are prohibited, the CEO added.

He asked to maintain election purity and transparency, political parties should avoid cash transactions and refrain from carrying large amounts of cash. Disturbances at meetings and processions of other parties are forbidden. Campaign materials must not be displayed near polling booths.

Sibin C said that demonstrations or picketing outside private residences are prohibited. Police assistance should be sought to manage disruptions at political meetings. Section 127 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, penalizes disorderly conduct at public meetings with imprisonment up to six months, a fine up to two thousand rupees, or both.

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*How many candidates from which Lok Sabha constituency?*

Disclosing this today, Sibin C said that there are 26 candidates in the fray from Gurdaspur, comprising 23 men and three women. Similarly, Amritsar has 30 candidates contesting for the seat, including 26 men and four women. Khadoor Sahib has 27 male candidates competing.

Out of the 43 candidates, 41 are male and two are female from Ludhiana. Fatehgarh Sahib has a total of 14 candidates, with 13 being male and one female contestant. In Faridkot, there are 28 candidates, of which 26 are male and two are female.

Jalandhar has 20 candidates, consisting of 17 men and three women. Hoshiarpur has 16 candidates, with 14 men and two women. Anandpur Sahib has a total of 28 candidates, with 26 men and two women.

Ferozepur has 29 candidates, all male. Bathinda has 18 candidates, with 15 men and three women. Sangrur has 23 candidates, including 22 men and one woman, while Patiala has 26 candidates, with 23 men and three women.