IMPHAL, April 9: Even as the ECI had announced to depute a Nodal officer of election each in designated camp of SoO group to oversee the casting votes through postal ballots papers for Outer Constituency Election, nodal officers officer failed to turned up at the KLO KLA/KNO Gamnon camp today.
A press team from Imphal visited the SoO camp at Saikul AC today, and interacted with Timothy Kuki general secretary of the group.
Timothy lamented that altogether 95 of his cadres who were present along with other cabinet officers had made necessary preparations to cast their votes today.
However, to our dismay the polling officer failed to turn up, he said.
He said that they have wasted the whole day in wait of the nodal officer.
“There are 95 cadres in our camp today but we don’t know how many of us are eligible to exercise our franchise”, he said.
Informing that most of his cadres are deprived of the opportunity to enrol in the electoral role during census operations as the cadres are confined at the designated camp, he appealed to the authority concerned to conduct census operations in the designated camp.
On the other hand, at the KRA designated camp located at the same area, the voting process was held successfully with the timely arrival of the Nodal officer.
However, the KRA cadres expressed their dissatisfaction as only nine cadres got the rights to exercise their franchise of the total strength of 172.
One of the camp commander of the KRA, questioned the proficiency of the election office while lamenting on election procedure which could only provide the voting right to handful of its cadres. “This is a total discrimination depriving the right of the citizen, we are not satisfied with the government procedure, what is the meaning of being a citizen of India”, he continued.
Contrary to the expectation of outfit to cast 70 % of their total strength, only 1% was recorded.
It has been further informed that even as the higher officials of KRA were waiting to cast their vote the official intimation of the arrival of nodal officer was received only around 1:30 pm today.