Trinamool Congress demands repoll in hill areas
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 30, 2012:
Unidentified armed personnel supporting NPF and Congress candidates resorted to proxy voting, booth capturing and vandalizing of EVMs, charged Trinamool Congress and demanded re-poll in the hill areas.
Addressing media persons here at Manipur Press Club, Kim Gangte, President, Trianamool Congress, Manipur Unit said that even though the Election Commission of India hoped for a free and fair election to be held in Manipur, the people of the hill areas of the state did not enjoy their voting right, and as such the election was not a free and fair one.
Armed personnel threatened the voters and resorted to booth capturing and proxy voting.
Despite the party's request to deploy sufficient security personnel in the sensitive polling stations, the ECI did not do so.
As a result, various Kuki outfits that are SoO signatory and NSCN-IM cadres resorted to proxy voting and double voting etc in support of certain candidates.
She further said that the poll percentage in 49/28 polling station, Maram Makha Sagei (B) under Tadubi A/C recorded 99.1% which is abnormal.
Other abnormal voting areas include 49/29 polling station where the poll percentage was 99.2%, 49/30 where the poll percentage was 98% and 89/31 polling station which recorded 97% polling.
Since all these polling stations recorded abnormal voting, re-poll in these polling stations is a must, she asserted.
She also stated that the Trianamool Congress is demanding re-poll in these polling stations not because the party fears that people did not vote for Trinamool Congress but because of the fact that people of these areas have for a long time been denied of their voting rights by the insurgent groups of the hill areas and the Trinamool Congress feels that they should be allowed to exercise their rights at all cost.
Pointing out the various incidence of election related crimes in different polling stations of the hill areas, Kim Gangte said that two Trinamool Congress workers from Churachandpur A/C were abducted by armed personnel of a Kuki organization which is a signatory to the SoO on election day, January 28 at around 2:30 pm, in a Bolero (MN0L 3390).In Tengnoupal A/C, Congress workers resorted to booth capturing and IM cadres opened fire in Thampi polling station where 7 persons were killed.
She also pointed out that Congress workers also indulged in booth capturing in 24 polling stations in Saikot A/C.In Saikul A/C the Congress workers along with the Kuki underground organizations resorted to 90% proxy voting.
The Congress and NPF workers also carried out large scale proxy voting and rigging.
She also expressed resentment over the withdrawal of security personnel from all candidates including those of the Trinamool Congress except those of the Congress candidates and said that the Congress led government should be held responsible if any unwanted incidents occur to the non congress candidates.
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