Congress accuses BJP of 'hijacking' peope's mandate
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 12 2022:
The Congress party has alleged that the landslide victory secured by BJP in the 12th Manipur Legislative Assem-bly election was not the people's mandate in reality.
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, AICC Manipur in-charge Bhakta Charan Das said that BJP hijacked the people's mandate by taking recourse to all kinds of electoral malpractices in collusion with those who managed the election.
Just as BJP ruled the State during the past five years by resorting to crook-ed and unethical means, BJP managed to win absolute majority in the just concluded State Assembly election by rigging the whole election process, Bhakta Charan Das said.
BJP not only used many hill-based underground outfits as an effective weapon to secure votes but also influenced polling personnel and other officials who managed the election process to work in their favour.
That was how BJP managed to retain power in the State, he said.
|
He alleged that BJP indulged in extensive proxy voting and manipulation of postal ballots.
Even as Congress party and many other political parties urged the ECI to hold re-poll at several polling stations from where rampant malpractices were reported, re-poll was held at only some polling stations where BJP was expected to secure more votes, asserted the Congress leader.
MPCC president N Loken rued that Congress Party could have won many more seats had the election been held in strict compliance with the principles of democracy and it could have translated into action many of the assurances it gave to the people in the course of the election campaign.
The recent election was anything but election of representatives of people's choice.
The recent trend is akin to the olden days of monarchy where might and brute force were the foundations of ruling a State/Nation.
As such, the future of both Manipur and India is a matter of grave concern, Loken said.
The winning margins never reached 2000 in all the elections held in Nambol AC since 1972 .
Out of 45 polling stations of Nambol AC, Congress won more votes at six polling stations of Leimapokpam while BJP was ahead at all the other polling stations.
Thus BJP won Nambol seat by more than 3000 votes, he said.
Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi who has been re-elected as CLP leader, MPCC working president K Meghachandra and many other Congress leaders were also present at the press meet.