KLO/KLA cadres denied voting opportunity
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 28, 2012:
Despite the assurance of the Election Department to allow cadres of armed groups under SoO to vote through postal ballots, cadres of KLO/KLA were denied any opportunity to vote due to non-arrival of polling officials.
Even as the State Election Department made arrangements to allow cadres of SoO parties to cast votes within their designated camps, no polling officials came to KLO/KLA's designated camp at Gamnom, Saikul.
Altogether 197 cadres of SoO parties currently housed in 16 designated camps in Senapati, Chandel and Churachandpur districts should have been allowed to vote on postal ballots after the arrival of respective nodal officers.
Talking to The Sangai Express, KLO/KLA general secretary L Timothy Kuki said that they were informed about the Government's plan to allow them vote in their designated camps in a meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group.
"Accordingly, I went to Saikul Bazar this morning and waited for election officials to guide them till the designated camp".
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"Had it be known that they (polling officials) would not be coming, I could have gone to my native village and cast my vote there", Timothy said.
Informing that there were 70 cadres in their Gamnom camp, Timothy said that all the cadres were eagerly waiting for the polling officials without moving out anywhere.
The proposal for allowing SoO cadres to vote was put up by the Government.
"I was very happy to learn that we would be voting this time after 2005 when I joined this armed group but it all turned out to be an illusion", Timothy lamented.
Timothy used to cast his vote at New Somtal within Chandel AC before he shifted to Saikul AC in 2007. On the other, two individuals who came for proxy voting at Thangton Hr School in Saikul AC were nabbed by security personnel.
It is reported that cadres of some other SoO groups were allowed to vote at their designated camps on postal ballots.