LSA submits report to ECI on poll rigging by INC
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 09 2014 :
State Secretary of CPI Manipur Council Dr M Nara on Friday said that a fact-finding report on the alleged massive booth rigging carried out by the ruling Congress party had been submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) yesterday.
Dr Nara was fielded by Left and Secular Alliance (LSA), a non-Congress and non-BJP bloc of seven political parties, as their common candidate for the Lok Sabha election from the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, which the polling of which was held recently.
LSA has been accusing the State Congress of indulging in proxy voting extensively in the national elections held in Manipur.
The alliance had on April 19 lodged a formal complaint to EC against alleged manipulation of vote by INC in the Inner polls.
Addressing the a press meet at Irabot Bhavan here today, Dr Nara informed that in response to the complaint, the poll panel had asked LSA earlier to submit a fact-finding report to substantiate the charges made against the ruling Congress party.
Accordingly, the fact-finding report was shot off to EC yesterday, Dr Nara said.
Dr Nara criticized the Ibobi Government, alleging that since the Congress Government came to power it has never let to conduct a single free and fair election in the State.
Congress has been using coercion to win the election in the State for quite a long time now; he charged and warned the Congress party of an impending public unrest in the face of its continued the illegal practices.
People are now well aware that the Indian National Congress and its nominee and sitting MP Dr T Meinya violated the election rules, he accused.
Citing a ruling by Supreme Court which states that registration of 90 percent vote may be sorted out as 'proxy votes', the CPI leader pointed out that as many as 112 polling stations recorded 90 percent vote during the election to the Inner Lok Sabha seat on April 17 .
"In the fact-finding report sent to EC, we've demanded the poll body to either arrange fresh polls in 26 booths or to exclude the registered vote from counting," he disclosed, adding that LSA has also urged to cancel the candidature of Dr Meinya since he and his party violated the election norms.
In a fresh salvo, Dr Nara alleged that the Congress had invested Rs 20 lakh each to woo voters in 32 Assembly constituencies in the valley (Outer) during the polls.
If coercion is used during the scheduled May 16 counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls, LSA is all prepared to challenge the ruling party because the alliance has already set up a team to act promptly with the help of several legal experts, Dr Nara added.