IMPHAL, Feb 11: Concerned over the alleged fraudulent issuance of about 1000 postal ballot papers to government employees of Wangkhem and Heirok constituencies in Thoubal district, Manipur People’s Party (MPP) today requested both the Election Commission of India (ECI) and state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to have them cancelled.In a letter to ECI, MPP president Dr Nimaichand Luwang, who is in the fray for the Wangkhem seat, said around 1000 postal ballot papers for the assembly polls were issued to government employees, mostly police personnel, who are electorates of the two constituencies though they were not assigned any election duty on the polling day, January 28.A official of the state election office said the verification of the matter is under progress after receipt of the complaint.Dr Luwang said the employees included VDF, SPO, Manipur Rifles, IRB personnel, Home Guards and Manipur police personnel, adding that most of these employees did not apply for postal ballot papers in Form-12 and which means the applications were forwarded by the officials of the state police department by forging their signatures.Many of them came to their respective polling stations to cast their votes on the polling day, but found that their postal ballot papers were issued against their names without their knowledge, the MPP president mentioned in the letter.It has also been detected that more than 400 postal ballots which failed to mention names of the electorates were dispatched through the post that were addressed to Superintendant of Police (Thoubal), Commandant Chandel, Commandant Tamenglong, Commandant Imphal, Superintendent of Police (SP) Imphal, CO Home Guard, Deputy Superintendant of Police Thoubal, DTO Itanagar etc., the letter said.Many postal ballot papers are now lying at the office of Thoubal SP and other offices since the identities of electorates are not known, Luwang further mentioned in the letter and raised apprehension of a sinister conspiracy and malpractices committed by some unscrupulous officials either in the state police department or the district election office.He further requested the ECI launch an enquiry and order cancelltion of the suspicisouly issued postal ballot papers.
