SHIMLA: The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that a number of construction contractors who are contesting the upcoming Shimla Municipal Corporation elections as Congress candidates have enrolled their workers as voters in their respective wards. They comprise labourers not only from outside the State but also from abroad, it is alleged.

According to State party president Jai Ram Thakur and Rajya Sabha member Suresh Bhardwaj, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh "is trying to capture the mandate by hook or by crook and encouraging the process of bogus voting in the local body elections".

The two party leaders expressed their "surprise" that in a population of 142,000 in Shimla town more than 115,000 are enrolled as voters. They alleged that the Shimla Deputy Commissioner was working at the behest of the Government in included "bogus" voters in the supplementary list and had ignored the requests of Opposition parties for removal of their names. "How can more than 80 per cent of the population can become voters in an area?" they asked.

The party is planning to launch an agitation if the Election Commission does not pay any heed to their complaints, they said over the weekend.

The BJP leaders also said that the Congress party was violating the model code of conduct for the elections by erecting huge hoardings and billboards at various places in the town depicting pictures of Congress leaders.

The party in its election manifesto has pledged to return the professional tax collected by the present Congress Government and increase the capital allowance for State Government employees if it is voted to power in the Municipal Corporation. It has also promised to ensure regular water supply, better sanitation, roads and parking facilities for the local residents.

Revenue

"Increasing taxes is not the only way to increase the MC revenue but new resources should be mobilised", said the BJP, adding that the Shimla Municipal Corporation was not only the country's oldest municipality but also one of the richest.

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