Panchayat Polls: Supporters stage protests
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 19 2012:
Protesting against the Returning Officer (RO) over alleged malpractices in issuance of winning certificate to successful candidates of 4th General Panchayat Election, 2012, supporters of Lairenjam Ibemhal Devi, a candidate from Laipham Khunou Zilla Parisad staged a sit-in protest in front of 2nd IRB gate, Laiphamkhunou on Wednesday.
Demanding appropriate action against the RO, the protestors also blocked the road at Laiphamkhunou main road for almost one hour.
Speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao on the sideline of the protest demonstration, Ibemhal said that after election officials declared that she has defeated her rival candidate by 88 votes, she rushed to collect the winning certificate from the RO at Panchayat Bhavan, Porompat along with her supporters.
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However, as the counting agents asked to give some time to prepare the certificate they were waiting there for almost two hours.
But later the RO came out and announced that her rival, Sunder has won the election by 12 votes.
As per the official record issued by the election officials at the time of announcement of the election result, Ibemhal got 2112 votes and her rival Sunder 2024 votes.
In a separate case of alleged malpractice and assault on candidate, supporters of Sinam Pradeep, candidate for Pradhan in Mongsangei Gram Panchayat, staged a protest on Wednesday at Haobam Marak Pandol Keithel demanding the authority concerned to conduct re-poll for the constituency.