Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 17 2010:
House of an ADC candidate was gutted last night in poll related violent incidents in Tamenglong district as re-poll was conducted to at least five polling stations peacefully on Wednesday with high turn up of voters.
The house of Congress candidate Tadaobi Newmai of Kuilong village in Tamenglong district was set on fire by some miscreants last night, at about 8.30 pm.
Police suspected the arsonists to be workers and supporters of rival candidate of the Congress.
All belongings of the house were reduced to ashes, the report said adding an estimate property to tune of around Rs five lakhs damaged.
Despite hectic efforts of the villagers, the house could not be saved even as they could stop from spreading to the neighbouring houses.
Tadaobi is contesting as Congress candidate in the Lamlang District Council Constituency of the Tamenglong District Council were re-polling was conducted yesterday.
His rival candidates and their workers and supporters were alleging that he, with the backing of the armed militants, forced voters to cast votes in his favour and demanding fresh poll once in some polling stations.
During the polling hour also there was a fierce confrontation among the workers and supporters of the rival candidates over the proxy voting, a villager informed when contacted by this correspondent.
He heard of assaulting an SDO on poll duty by the miscreants but the identity of the official could not be confirmed from the local source as well as from police.
Re-poll at five polling stations within Langlong DCC was conducted yesterday.
Even though no voters turned up in two polling stations, high turned up of voters recorded in three polling stations.
Official reports said that at 16/1 Awangkhul polling station 66% turned up of voters recorded, 94.5% at 16/6 Lukhambi and 43% at 16/7 Langkhul polling stations.
Interesting residences of Lukhami village located on the side of the NH-53 were abstained from voting on June 2 last, the day on which the second phase of the polling to the ADCs in three districts of Senapati, Ukhrul and Tamenglong was conducted.
The stayed away from taking part in the election extending support to the boycott called by the ANSAM and UNC rejecting the Manipur (Hill areas) District Council Act, 2008 and supporting the economic blockade by attacking freight trucks on the NH-53 with stones and catapult.