CHANDIGARH: The Punjab BJP today sought the deployment of paramilitary forces in Patiala for the local bodies elections, alleging that the ruling Congress was misusing the state machinery to "put pressure" on SAD-BJP candidates.
The party's state vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal and its Punjab secretary Vineet Joshi in a meeting with the state election commissioner (SEC) here alleged that the ruling Congress was involved in malpractices in Patiala.
Elections to three municipal corporations -- Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala -- and municipal councils and nagar panchayats is scheduled on December 17.
They also claimed that the police and the civil machinery was being misused and SAD-BJP candidates were being "put under pressure and browbeaten" by the Congress.
"Station-level policemen in Patiala are acting like Congress workers and are threatening the opposition," the BJP leaders claimed in a release.
They said that paramilitary forces should be deployed in Patiala for the local bodies elections.
Joshi appealed to the SEC that voting should be conducted under the supervision of poll observers from neighbouring states.
"The Congress misused the state machinery during Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll and emerged victorious. It is again adopting the same measures for the state-local body elections," he said.
"Hence, paramilitary forces and poll observers from neighbouring states are required to ensure free and fair elections," Joshi demanded.