'By hook or crook' best describes
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 21 , 2014 -

"Neither free nor fair" are the exact words voiced by BJP State unit two days after the election to Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency was held on April 17.

Before this, both BJP and CPI were demanding repoll in 17/7 Khonghampat polling station of Lamsang Assembly segment on the ground that proxy votes were cast in the particular polling station in favour of and at the behest of the Congress candidate.

It was at this particular polling station that the Trinamool Congress candidate manhandled the Presiding Officer for not objecting to proxy voting.

If the report was true, the Presiding Officer was directly abetting the infamous electoral malpractice called proxy voting. Law says abetting a criminal act is more culpable than committing the crime itself.

BJP did not simply make the allegation of proxy voting. It came out with a specific figure 'more than 40' albeit short of the exact figure. Specificity certainly adds authenticity to any assertion.

The CEO's office may or may not have information on the allegation but BJP, CPI and for that matter other political parties and candidates would have certain knowledge about what happened on the election day as their agents were also present at the same polling station.

Perhaps, that was why they could come out with a certain figure of the number of proxy votes polled.

The matter demands serious examination but it has been overshadowed by the BJP's new demand for repoll in all polling stations of Thoubal A/C, Khundrakpam A/C and Andro A/C.

The first two are home constituencies of the incumbent Chief Minister and the Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker. It was no coincidence that BJP made this allegation on the day voter turnout details of each and every constituency were published in media.

They made the allegation of booth capturing and poll rigging, obviously, after analysing the voter turnout figures.

It is hard to judge at the moment whether their analysis is perfect or free from errors. Perhaps for the first time in the electoral history of the State, no long queues were seen in front of polling stations.

Yet, the voter turnout figure came close to 90 per cent in some polling stations. This was pointed out by none other than the BJP candidate. This says something very significant.

Again there were reports of some booth level officers holding back voter slips till the election day which otherwise should be distributed two or three days before the day of polling.

They not only kept hold of the voter slips. They were sitting at Congress camps with bunches of voter slips in their hands on the election day.

Given all these complaints and reports of electoral malpractices, one can safely conclude that the 16th Lok Sabha election was not different from the previous elections held in the State.

Money power and muscle power operated in full gear this time too. There was also a report that polling agents of some political parties/candidates were not allowed to sit in many polling stations of Thoubal district except those of Congress and CPI.

The Presiding Officer not objecting to proxy voting was a clear manifestation of the ruling party manipulating bureaucratic machinery.

Booth level officers holding back voter slips and sitting at Congress camps is a grave and offensive electoral malpractice.

This is another reflection of arm twisting administrative machinery by the ruling party.

The way elections are held in this part of the Earth puts a big question mark on the very idea of democracy and republic.

The election department's responsibility multiplies corresponding to the strength of the ruling party.

Just to remind our readers, 47 Members of the 60-Member Legislative Assembly now sit on ruling bench, and it is a common knowledge that bureaucrats are always under the influence of political parties, particularly ruling party/parties.

Sure enough, advantage to Congress. By hook or crook still applies.