Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh receives 'mike' as election symbol
Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, who is currently incarcerated in Assam's Dibrugarh jail, has been assigned the 'mike' as his election symbol. Singh is one of 169 independent contestants among a total of 328 candidates for the June 1 elections. He will be contesting as an independent candidate from the Khadoor Sahib seat, Punjab. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C confirmed that all candidates have been allotted election symbols by district election officers following instructions from the Election Commission of India.
Variety of symbols assigned to independent candidates
The election symbols assigned to independent candidates span a wide array of items. These include a harmonium, dumbbells, apples, tongs, hockey and ball, stool, ship, gas cylinder, battery torch, almirah, computer, batsman bat, truck cot, and more. Another independent candidate on the list is Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, who will be contesting the Faridkot constituency. He has been assigned the 'Ganna Kisan' symbol. Khalsa is the son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Singh arrested under stringent NSA
Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De, was arrested on April 23, 2023, after a 36-day manhunt. The events that led to Singh's arrest began in February, when hundreds of his supporters attacked a Punjab police station armed with swords and pistols, demanding the release of a jailed aide. Singh was eventually apprehended in Rode village, Moga district, Punjab, at the village gurdwara. He was arrested under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
