The husband of a newly elected Zila Parishad member in Punjab took oath on behalf of his wife who he said was away for some urgent work.

More such incidents have now come to fore in Punjab where spouses or relatives took the ceremonial oath on behalf of elected representatives who remained absent from the event for one of the other reasons.

An inquiry to pin down accountability for the lapses is underway. The incident mocks at the system in place at many places and the blatant disregard for laid down democratic procedures. Panchayat elections in Congress-ruled Punjab recently concluded. The Congress won the polls by a thumping majority.

One such incident came to light from Gurusar in Gidderbaha in Punjab’s Muktsar. During the ceremony, a Youth Congress leader walked onto the stage and took the oath as a member of the Zila Parishad on behalf of his wife. The leader, PS Aulakh, maintained that his wife was away for some urgent work which is why he took the oath on her behalf.

Aulakh’s wife Rajbinder Kaur had recently won the ZP poll. The leader said, his wife had gone out of the station, so he took the oath in her absence. He, however, claimed that he was not the lone one to do so while naming a few others who followed this proxy route.

Deputy Commissioner MK Aravind Kumar has ordered a probe to establish the ‘serious’ lapses.