Heavy turnout in Panchayat polls
Re-poll in violent-marred 10 PSs likely
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 13 2012: The 4th General Panchayat elections in the four valley districts of Manipur today recorded a heavy turnout of 85 per cent voters exercising their franchise although strayed incidents of violence marred smooth conduct of the election in some polling stations.

In all 1561 polling stations have been set up across the four valley districts for the Panchayat election.

In Imphal East, the poll percentage recorded was 80, 90 each in Imphal West and Thoubal and 80 percent in Bishnupur.

Due to poll related violence like snatching and destroying of ballot boxes, re-poll is likely to be ordered in as many as 10 polling stations.

If at all, re-poll is to be conducted, it would be done on September 15 while the counting of votes on September 17 .

The casting of votes started at 7am and continued till 4 in the evening.

In some of the polling stations, voters reportedly exercise their franchise till half past 4 while in some others polling was disrupted following eruption of violence.

Polling personnel deployed at Unapal Primary School waiting for voters as none turns up in boycott of the Panchayat election held on September

Voters were allegedly barred from casting votes for Panchayat members in a polling station at Nongdren Chingnungkhok under Imphal East district following protest agitations by supporters of a candidate of Panchayat member for ward number II, on the ground that the symbol was wrongly depicted in the ballot paper.

Though the casting of votes for Pradhans and Zilla Parishads were carried out, voters were prevented from casting votes to elect Panchayat member in the said polling station.

Snatching and tearing of ballot papers by a candidate contesting for the seat of Pradhan was reported in Polling Station no.17/24 of Yairipok Gram Panchayat under Thoubal district.

In polling station no.9/6/4 of Thanga Gram Panchayat, two candidates for the post of Zilla Parishad members were caught up in a fight which ultimately led to destruction of ballot box.

Consequently, casting of votes in this polling station was also stopped.

In Yairipok Yambem Gram Panchayat, there were cases of violence erupting between workers of different candidates.

In Chanam Sandrok, the brother of one Suresh, a former Pradhan, allegedly took out his license gun and struck the heads of two persons namely Takhellambam Kameshwar and Thiyam Nabakumar with the butt of his gun.

The two were later taken to RIMS for treatment.

Two women candidates in front of a polling station in Budhimanjuri Junior High School under Lamjao Tongbam Gram Panchayat were also caught up in a fight, thus leading to some commotion in the polling process.

In Wangoo Sandankhong polling station, violence erupted among the workers of different candidates and the polling exercise abruptly ended at around 9 am.

In one polling station in an LP School under Pallel Gram Panchayat, no voters came out to cast their votes.

In another polling station in Uyumpok LP School under Thoubal district as well, no one turned up to cast their votes.

In Phunal Khunjao Zilla Parishad, a number of voters were deprived from exercising their democratic rights of electing representatives following a fight among two workers of Zilla Parishad member candidates.

The deprived voters have demanded a re-poll on this count.

It has also been reported that no one came out to exercise their franchise at Sandang Senba Maring Khul for electing Zilla Parishad members and Pradhans.

It may be noted here that Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (COPTAM) had called a 12-hour bandh in the hill areas of Manipur in protest against inclusion of some tribal villages in the Panchayat Polls.

A total of 6,51,817 voters including 3,18,122 male voters and 6,51,817 female voters were officially declared valid for the Panchayat polls.

In all, 9096 polling personnel were used at 1,516 polling stations spread across the four districts.

During the polls, 5,000 security personnel including state police, Manipur Rifles, India Reserve Battalion, Village Defence Force and Home Guards were deployed to ensure free and fair polls.

The polls were conducted to elect 60 Zilla Parishad members, 161 Pradhans and 1,514 Gram Panchayat members from four valley districts of Imphal East including ADC Jiribam, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur.

In the Panchayat polls, 231 candidates are contesting for the 60 Zilla Parishad seats, 595 candidates for 161 seats for Pradhans and 3794 candidates are in the fray for 1514 seats of Gram Panchayat members.

The Government this time had opted secret ballot papers replacing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Panchayat Polls.

EVMs were used in the last state general elections.

In Imphal East ADC Jiribam, 10 polling stations were officially declared as hyper- sensitive, 19 as sensitive and 23 as normal out of 57 polling stations, while in respect of Sawombung, Porompat and Keirao Bitra of the district having 433 polling stations, 77 had been declared as hyper-sensitive, 218 as sensitive and 138 as normal.

Counting of votes for the Panchayat polls will take place on September 17 and the results will be declared on the same day.