Imphal, April 28 2009: The common candidate of the Left and Democratic Co-ordination Committee Dr M Nara and the Committee co-convenor Kshetrimayum Shanta today called on Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and exerted pressure on the Election Commission of India for ordering repoll in 16 polling stations of Andro and Thoubal.

The two representatives of the Left and Democratic Co-ordiantion Committee called on the Election Commissioner at around 1.30 pm today.

During the meeting which lasted for about an hour, the two representatives presented their case to the Election Commissioner contending that repoll in 16 polling stations of Thoubal and Andro is essential as the rights of the voters have been denied with Congress workers alleged to have resorted to mass rigging though use of muscle power during the election to the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency held on April 22 .

After hearing the case, the Election Commissioner assured the two representatives of doing the needful after a thorough study of the complaint lodged by the Election Agent L Sotinkumar as well as the letters send by Secretariat Member of CPI National Council D Raja and Deputy Secretary Shridhar Reddy to press the demand for repolling.

The Election Commissioner had also reportedly conveyed that Deputy Election Commissioner (North East in-charge) JP Prakash and Secretary (North East in-charge) of Election Commission RK Srivastava have been entrusted to look into the report submitted by the RO of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency and the complaint lodged by the Election Agent of Dr M Nara to see whether repoll could be ordered or not Dr Nara and Shanta are expected to arrive here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in a representation submitted to the Returning Officer of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, L Sotinkumar Singh requested not to count the votes polled in 7-Andro Assembly segment of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency in respect of polling station no.7/9, 7/10, 7/13, 7/14, 7/30/ 7/31, 7/32, 7/33, 7/34, 7/35 and 7/36 in view of alleged mass rigging and large scale proxy voting carried out by Congress workers in these polling stations.

MPP team returns: The MPP team led by its president Dr L Chandramani who have gone to meet officials of the Election Commission of India to demand for repolling in 11 polling stations of Andro Assembly Constituency where Congress workers allegedly indulged in mass proxy voting during the Parliamentary election on April 22 returned to Imphal today with the hope that the Commission may consider their demand.

On their arrival at Imphal, the members of the MPP team joined other party workers in the sit-in-protest demonstration being staged at the office complex of the party over the same demand.

Addressing the gathering, MLA O Joy, who was part of the team, said that the officials of the Election Commission had been taken into confidence on the case of mass rigging carried out by Congress workers in 11 polling stations of Andro Assembly Constituency along with providing the material evidences.

As all the Commission members have given patient hearing to the representation of the MPP team, repolling in the said 11 polling stations is expected to be ordered, Joy hoped.

Stating that the Government has started realising its shortfalls after its own coalition partner CPI revolted, Joy said MPP would never accept anything that had been carried out in defiance of the guidelines of the Election Commission of India with regard to provisions for video coverage and full security of the polling stations.

He also questioned the integrity of educated officials who wilfully neglected guidelines of the Election Commission.

Questioning the motive behind deployment of unarmed volunteers of Village Defence Force to guard polling stations in the remote Andro AC after removing hypersensitive label by taking advantage of absence of local MLA Shyamkumar of MPP who has been arrested and lodged in the jail even while the election process was underway, Joy said that the people of Andro who have elected Shyamkumar on MPP ticket and went on to become the Deputy Speaker of State Assembly would never be able to forgive such conducts of the Congress led SPF Government.

MPP workers should not remain quiet to such mal-practices, he exhorted.

MDA candidate Th Chaoba who was also part of the MPP team alleged that the SP concerned had changed status of the hypersensitive polling stations as normal in the eleventh hour and deployed unarmed volunteers of Village Defence Force to make it possible for the Congress party to indulge in mass rigging.

The demand of the MPP for repoll would remain and it would continue to launch various agitations even during counting of votes, Chaoba said, adding that MPP would surely win the election.

In case the demand for repoll in the 11 polling stations of Andro Assembly Constituency is not considered, complaint would be lodged against the Election Commission of India and Wakat Meepham would be staged, he said, while calling upon the party workers to be courageous for sake the sake of truth and justice.

MPP president Dr L Chandramani who had led the team alleged that the Congress led SPF Government has challenged the democracy itself by violating the guidelines of the Election Commission of India.

Questioning the possibility of 90 percent polling recorded in Andro and Thoubal before noon, MPP has laid all the material evidences before the Election Commission, he told the gathering.

If no repoll is ordered from the side of the Election Commission, various intense agitations would be launched, Dr Chandramani warned.

Afterward, the gathering shouted slogan in unison demanding repoll in 11 polling stations of Andro.

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