IMPHAL, May 4: In response to the joint complaint lodged by Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency CPI candidate Dr M Nara and BJP candidate, RK Rajan, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manipur, Returning Officers and election observers have submitted their written explanations to the Election Commission of India.
Talking to IFP, Dr M Nara, disclosed that the complainants met with the members of the Election Commission of India on April 29, last.
Dr M Nara further informed that the written explanations were submitted to the ECI on May 3.
In the complaint, the complainants have demanded to inspect, before the scheduled of counting, the marked copy of electoral rolls, voters slips, signatures/thumbprints impressions on form 17A (rule 49L), registers of voters slip used at 31-Thoubal A/C, he said.
Further it has also appealed to initiate legal action the commission against electoral malpractices by INC candidates Dr Th Meinya, Y Ibotombi, Huirom Naba Singh and also to disqualify the candidature of INC-candidate Dr Th Meinya from the 16th Lok Sabha Elections.
He revealed that while submitting the complaint, RK Ranjan was represented by his chief agent Brajamani, while he represented himself.
The candidates of the two parties (CPI and BJP) had complaint of rampant proxy voting and booth capturing conducted allegedly by workers of the Indian National Congress during the April 17 Manipur I- Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency at the instance of INC candidate in many of the polling booths.
He said they had highlighted in their complaint that the acts of the workers and the commissioning the offence of booth capturing at polling station no 17/7 (Khongampat) by sitting MP Dr Th Meinya contravened the provision of Section 126(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1951.
Further in the joint complaint, the complainants also highlighted that voter turn-out in the Inner constituency has revealed polled percentage as high as 90 percentage and sometimes even surpassing 98.83 percent in many polling booths in the 29 of the 30 polling booths of 31-Thoubal Assembly Constituency, which is the constituency of Chief Minister of Manipur.
Moreover, it said that repoll was also ordered in 31/1-Thoubal on April 22 following the high voters turn out (100.26 percent) on the day of the poll (April 17), he said.