Imphal, January 14: To prevent proxy voting during the upcoming three-phased election to the 9th Manipur Legislative Assembly, security personnel to be deployed in all designated polling stations would be given additional power even as the Election Commission has asked the State Government to provide security to the intending candidates from the hill districts if they face threat while filing the nomination papers at their respective designated offices.

According to an official source, apart from deploying adequate Central paramilitary personnel in all the polling stations, they would be given additional power to ensure incidents of proxy voting do not take place in the election.

Earlier the opinion of the presiding officers were considered only in case of dispute while voting, but this time, the opinion of the security personnel deployed in the designated polling stations concerned would also be given due weightage in resolving the matter, the source disclosed.

To give no scope for proxy voting either before or after the voting day, the timing of the votes would be recorded in the upgraded Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) which would be used for the first time this year, the source said.

Eleven boxes consisting of 55 EVMs were brought to Imphal today by an Indian Airlines flight, and the required EVMs would be brought here within January 22, the source informed.

On the other hand, the Election Commission has turned down the request of the National parties to allow their intending candidates to file their nomination papers at designated places in the valley districts in addition to the district headquarters in the hill districts in view of the threat perception.

An order issued by the State Chief Electoral Officer RR Rashmi in this connection said that despite the representations received from certain intending candidates of National political parties from the hill districts to allow them to file their nomination papers at the designated places in the valley districts in addition to the district headquarters of the Returning Officers of the Assembly Constituency in the hill districts, the Commission has decided that the existing arrangement of filing the nomination papers in the hill districts should continue.

The CEO's order made it clear that the nomination papers should be filed by the candidates at the designated offices of the respective returning officers at their district headquarters and the offices of ADCs/ROs at Jiribam and Kangpokpi only.

However, in case any political party and intending candidates face any specific threat in filing the nomination papers at the designated offices of the respective returning Officers at their District Headquarters, such intending candidates are advised to make specific request for security to the State Govt which has been advised to provide adequate security to all the candidates to enable them to reach the district headquarters and file their nominations, the order added.

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