Congress: “With 50 per cent of the total population of the country comprising youngsters, it is time for the youth to realise its power,” said Congress candidate and sitting MP Pawan Kumar Bansal as he addressed two separate gatherings in Sectors 29 and 45. While evoking the patriotic fervour he said: “No inspiration is better than the lives of the martyr trio — Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.”

Presiding over the candlelight march organised by the Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress Committee (CTYC), Bansal said the youth has a wider and more responsible role to play in the development of the country. “Our country’s future rests on the energetic shoulders of the young blood,” he added.

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP): Senior BJP leaders condemned the statement of Congress counterpart Pawan Kumar Bansal, in which he had promised rehabilitation for residents of Faidan village and regularisation of their dwellings. President of the state unit, Kamala Sharma, general secretary Sanjay Tandon, former presidents Dharam Pal Gupta and Jai Ram Joshi took strong objection to his remarks in a joint statement.

The BJP leaders accused the Congress MP of ‘misleading’ the innocent people of Faidan village and said that “he has been doling out false assurances for the past 15 years”. They asked Bansal to seek votes on the basis of performance, not promises.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, led by president of the city unit Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, meanwhile, offered tributes to Bhagat Singh in a programme organised in the Sector-33 party office. Speaking on the occasion, NDA candidate from the Chandigarh Parliamentary Constituency Satya Pal Jain appealed to the youth to follow the ideals of Bhagat Singh.

Janta Dal (U): Janta Dal (U) candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Goswami V B Bharti, visited Vikas Nagar to discuss the problems of the residents which included ill-maintained parks and poor roads. Goswami also visited Burail and Daria as part of his campaign.

Choose not to vote, but record your remarks
The Election Commission of India has issued instructions mandating that if a voter decides not to record his vote after his electoral roll number has been entered in the register of voters and he has put his signatures or thumb impression, a remark to this effect shall be made in the register available with the Presiding Officer.

In a statement issued on Monday, a UT spokesperson said the decision has been taken to minimise complaints from the public on assistance sought from polling officers, when the electorate chooses not to cast his or her vote.