Imphal, September 30: Reacting to the allegation of forfeiting the voting right and irregularities in payment of TA/DA to the Government employees engaged as polling personnel in the just concluded Panchayat Election, 2007 in Jiribam, Additional Deputy Commissioner Y Iboyaima Singh, who is also the District Election Officer/Returning Officer of Jiribam clarified that the statements given by the complainants and published in local papers are one-sided, misleading and baseless.

In a press clarification, the ADC explained that a voter on election duty who wishes to vote by post at an election shall send an application form in Form-16 to the Returning Officer so as to reach him at least 7 days or such shorter period as the Returning Officer may allow, before the date of poll, and if the Returning Officer is satisfied that the applicant on election duty is a voter shall issue an postal ballot paper or Election Duty Certificate to the concerned.

But the Presiding Officer and Polling Officers fail to digest the provision enlisted in the Presiding Officer's Handbook issued to them.

Before issuing postal ballot paper or Election duty certificate, necessary correction and entry to the relevant marked copy of the electoral rolls which relate to voters on election duty van be materialised only when Polling Station No./ Duty place of poll is allotted to the voter on election duty for enabling the Returning Officer to go through the necessary correction in the marked copy of electoral rolls of the relevant polling stations and entry of the word PB or EDC against such persons/voters during the hectic hours for smooth conduct of election by the Returning Officer on scheduled dates, the ADC said.

The ADC further clarified that the prescribed application Form-16 for postal of RDC were made available to the appointed polling personnel well ahead of the dispersal day of polling parties and those who wish for such privilege submitted/filed applications to the Returning Officer on September 17 i.e.before the dispersal day.

So the allegation that the application forms were issued after the poll is totally false.

As to the charges of irregularities in payment of TA/DA, the ADC clarified that the amount of the TA/DA entitled to each of the polling personnel as per guidelines of the State Election Commission, including the remuneration of election rehearsals for both appointed and reserved polling parties had been paid fully.

A printed check-list of the amount had been handed over to them along with the total cash amount to all the Presiding Officer taking the token of receipt of the same in the office copy payment receipt, etc maintained by the office of the Returning Officer, Jiribam, the Jiribam pointed out.

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