New Delhi: Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer and the city police today remained on toes while BJP and SAD candidates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Anil Joshi, respectively, filed their nomination papers today.
Both the candidates held their roadshows for showcasing their strength before filing their nominations. Heavy security was deployed on routes, including Majitha Road and Mall Road, where the two roadshows were held.
Hundreds of BJP workers and leaders participated in the roadshow organised by the party before former bureaucrat Taranjit Singh Sandhu filed his nomination papers. Union External Affair Minister S Jaishankar and former Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik also accompanied Sandhu on the occasion. The roadshow passed from Novelty Chowk to Kitchlew Chowk in which party activists raised slogans in Sandhu and BJP's favour.
Senior police officials, including Harpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, were present on the route for supervising the security arrangements. However, during the roadshow traffic was stopped on Mall Road leaving the commuters a harried lot.
Unpleasant scenes were witnessed when officials of the municipal corporation started removing banners and posters fixed in clear violation of the model code of conduct on either side of Mall Road. The BJP workers resisted officials' attempts while the latter removed posters and banners.
Besides BJP's Sandhu, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Anil Joshi also filed his nomination papers today. He was accompanied by former Punjab Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Their roadshow commenced from a resort near Khanna Paper Mill and passed through Majitha Road bypass, SSSS Chowk and headed towards Kitchlew Chowk through Mall Road.
Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Police Commissioner, said the police was committed for maintaining law and order in the city. Harpal Singh, ADCP, said proper traffic diversions were made during the roadshows so that no commuter was stuck on road. He said at some points, traffic was halted, but only when roadshows passed through the designated stretch.
