Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 24 2009:
AMIDST THE strong demand for re-poll in certain polling station which went on April 22 last, state election authority is not in the po-sition to hold the re-poll for the time being as they have no concrete evidence to proof proxy voting.
A source from the state CEO today said that there is no evidence to prove with regard to the complaint lodged by CPI leader, L Sotinkumar saying that workers of a particular candidate had cast votes of other electors at 11 polling stations in Andro Assembly segment, and one polling station each in Thoubal A/C, Khundrakpam A/C and Patsoi A/C.But, the CEO has so far no concrete evidence to prove the allegations, the source said adding reports from the returning officers, sector magistrate and presiding officers concerned did not show any malpractice during the polling hour at the said 13 polling stations.
However, the source said that the state election authority has started looking into the compliants and is considering the demand of putting additional security forces at the places where the EVMs are being stored in the strong rooms.
The state CEO office received a complaint from the MPP president Dr L Chandramani stating that the securities deployed to protect the strong rooms are not enough to protect it.
Under the guidelines of the ECI, the said places are to be protected by deploying security personnel under a command of an assistant commandant, he mention in his complaint note.
He further complained that the strong room at Imphal east DC office is protected by only nine armed personnel and demanded to look into the matter as the EVMs are to be kept in the place till May 16, the schedule counting day.