CPI condemns unwanted incidents during Lok Sabha polls, demands repoll
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 20 2024:
Strongly condemning the violent incidents at some polling stations within the assembly constituencies of BJP MLAs and those supporting the party, CPI-Manipur State Council has called for a repoll in all the polling stations of these affected areas.
In a statement, CPI Manipur State Council highlighted that despite orders issued by relevant authorities for depositing licensed arms, some people were seen carrying weapons and engaging in booth capturing and proxy voting during the Friday's election.
The security personnel, tasked with ensuring safety of voters, and the presiding officers failed to perform their duties.
The chief electoral officer has been urged to launch a high-level inquiry Commission against the security personnel and presiding officers involved.
The statement maintains that it is the shared belief of all those committed to upholding democracy, secularism, federalism, and the country's constitution that the regrettable incidents on the election day were pre-planned by the chief minister to earn the favor of PM Narendra Modi.
It further stated that it would not be an overstatement to assert that the inability of the chief minister, who also holds the home portfolio, and the state chief electoral officer to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for the gun attacks targeting the core supporters of INDIA bloc candidate Prof Bimol Akoijam and the disruption of the candidate's election meetings, is a sign of their ineffectiveness.
INDIA bloc had already expressed concerns that the Lok Sabha elections would not be conducted freely and fairly; given the state government's failure to recover more than 50 percent of the arms and ammunition stolen from the government armories.
It is also regrettable that the chief electoral officer did not designate certain polling stations as hypersensitive and did not deploy additional security forces accordingly.
The release further stated that despite the forced conclusion of the election, the incident that occurred on Friday has severely tarnished the reputation of Manipuris in the eyes of the outside world.
The release also expressed suspicion that the Friday's unwanted incidents could escalate the tension within a community leading to unwanted incidents.