DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 27 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today alleged that untoward polling incidents were reported throughout the polling day on February 27.
A press release from Congress State In Charge, Dr Ajoy Kumar and Chairperson NPCC Communications Committee, Wezote Kreo said that the “Representation of People’s Act has yet again been mocked at yet again though a rife movement against unethical practices and for free and fair elections has been prevalent across civil societies in Nagaland including Nagaland Baptist Church Council.”
“The spate of poll related violence in various pockets across the state is a matter of deep concern. Exercising one’s adult suffrage is an opportunity that comes once in 5 years’ time. Every citizen who is qualified to vote should be given equal opportunity to cast their vote,” the Congress stated.
It maintained that propagating and supporting a candidate or party is also the individual choice of the voter and thus they should not be pressurized, forced or coerced to cast otherwise. It is for this reason that the clean election movement on many fronts was initiated with the objective to facilitate free and fair election, the Congress said.
It however lamented that despite the launch of Clean Elections as a widespread movement, “the state has failed as many polling stations have witnessed unbecoming tactics employed to prevent the citizens from casting their votes or to manipulate their vote.”
The Congress further claimed that “there is clear video evidence of booth capture particularly in places like 26-Aolengden Assembly Constituency as was witnessed in the videos made available on social media wherein the sitting NDPP’s supporters could be seen threatening and preventing voters from entering the polling stations.”
Further, the Congress said that there are reports from 41 Tizit A/C that voters were not allowed to cast their vote while proxy voting was being indulged in. “There have been reports of other instances where Polling Agents of Congress Candidates have been pulled out from the Polling Station, proxy voting being indulged in, interference by village councils and also reports of violence and tension in various pockets across the state,” it alleged.
The party asked the Election Commission of India to take cognizance of and remedy “such gross misconduct on priority.”
It further wrote official complaints to both the Election Commission of India and the Nagaland Director General of Police with regard to the aforesaid incidents.
