MSCP not in favour of re-poll
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 15 2012:
Despite the multitude of complaints about malpractices and proxy voting, MSCP candidates have expressed strong reservations against holding re-poll.
A joint meeting of MSCP candidates who contested the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly election was held today at Hotel Imphal today.
The meeting discussed about forming a coalition Government in which MSCP would be a major partner.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, MSCP president Y Mani categorically stated that MSCP candidates did not favour re-poll despite all the complaints about malpractices and the photo comparison results in which photographs of many voters were found not matching with their EPIC photographs.
Saying that holding re-poll would be waste of time and money, Mani asked as to why the ECI has not taken up any action against the presiding officers who allowed all kinds of malpractices including proxy voting.
He also questioned the silence of Congress party even as re-poll has become the hottest topic among the political circle following detection of extensive errors and discrepancies during the photo comparison exercise.
MSCP working president Devbrata said that if re-poll is held because of faulty EVMs and proxy voting, then the lowest expenditure ceiling fixed by the ECI for candidates should be reviewed.
Moreover conducting re-poll would only increase the room for manipulation.
MSCP spokesperson Vivek Raj asserted that even as the ECI made all efforts to conduct the election in a flawless manner, all these measures could not check the use of money power.
If there is any evidence that MSCP candidate in Tamei A Awangbou Newmai facilitated voting through unfair means, the same votes may be excluded from counting.
He further alleged that Sumatibala Ningthoujam who contested the Assembly elections in Heirok AC issued postal ballots to SPOs besides allowing them to cast votes personally which means the SPOs voted twice.
MSCP candidate in Uripok AC N Shyamananda asked how many times re-poll would be held because there are proxy voting.
Instead of going in for re-poll, it would be far more better to exclude proxy votes from counting, he asserted.
Stating that two EVMs were used in polling station number 54/9, the party's candidate in Nungba AC Adim Panmei demanded that the votes cast in the second EVM should not be included in the counting.