MPP petitions ECI on postal ballot misuse
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 11, 2012:
The Manipur People's Party (MPP) has reportedly lodged a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that postal ballot papers of police and Home Department employees of 32 Wangkhem and 33 Heirok Assembly Constituencies are in the custody of police authorities without consent or knowledge of the employees concerned.
In a startling revelation to the media, MPP president Dr Nimaichand Luwang contended that postal ballot papers of over 1000 police and Home Department employees of the two constituencies, who were not assigned duty in the recently held 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly election, have been confiscated by the Superintendent of Police (Thoubal) and unit commandants.
Interacting with news-persons at the MPP office today, Dr Luwang alleged discrepancies in the allotment of postal ballots to police and Home Department employees of the two Thoubal district constituencies.
He claimed that MPP has specific information about some individuals, acting at the behest of certain candidates, collecting signatures of the said employees in blank papers and as such the matter has been placed before the ECI.
While mentioning that those engaged for signature collection possessed authorization letters to convince some employees hand over their respective ballot papers, Dr Luwang said the postal ballots should be allotted to the employees through the post.
Further informing that the postal ballot papers were meant for provision to employees of different civil and Home department personnel engaged in polling duty, he posed as to why State security force personnel who were not assigned election duty provided postal ballot papers.
Explaining that in case a State security force personnel wants to cast vote he/she should apply for the same in Form-12, Dr Luwang, himself a candidate in Wangkhem AC contended that security force authorities forged signature of the personnel to possess the ballot papers.
He also asserted that about 600 security personnel in Heirok AC and nearly 800 personnel in Wangkhem AC were barred from exercising their democratic right for their names were enlisted among State security force personnel to whom postal ballot papers had already been issued.
Further contending that more than one ballot paper had been issued in the name of an individual personnel, the MPP leader said rather than the police or Home Department personnel receiving the ballot papers at their respective home address through the post office concerned many ballot papers are yet to be distributed to the enlisted personnel as the ballot papers have been sent in bulk addressed to the offices of the SP (Thoubal) and Commandants of the battalion concerned.
With reference to his comments, the MPP chief expressed that conspiracy in favour of certain candidates in the two assembly constituencies cannot be ruled out.
In the complaint lodged to the ECI yesterday, the opposition party reportedly urged for cancellation of the postal ballot papers on the ground that neither the security personnel were assigned election duty nor had they applied for the same.
Dr Luwang also informed that the State's Chief electoral Officer had already instructed Returning Officer concerned to submit a detailed report on the matter.
MPP nominee in Heirok AC N Sovakiran, who also spoke to the media informed that there are a total of 300 Special Police Officers in the assembly segment who were not detailed for election duty but were nevertheless issued postal ballot papers.
Moreover, to whom would the huge number of postal ballot papers lying at the office of SP (Thoubal) be distributed, he posed.
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