KOHIMA, APRIL 30 (MExN): The Kohima District Congress Committee (KDCC) has demanded that an independent authority initiate a thorough inquiry into alleged malpractice at polling stations in Kohima. In a representation to the Nagaland Commissioner and Returning Officer, the KDCC stated that “in all given polling stations, undesirable incidents took place in the physical presence and with tacit consent of the polling officials on duty.” It stated that to claim that there is “no adverse remark/report” by the polling officials on duty, “is not only distorting the ground reality but concealing the fact of the matter.”
The KDCC alleged that “almost everywhere, the dominant group, in connivance with village/local authority had allowed proxy voting and booth capturing.” “The visual recordings of one man voting many times are explicit evidence which the election authority cannot possibly deny,” it added.
It further said that aggrieved members in the polling stations were “physically assaulted with intimidation not to complain to the election authority or face dire consequences after the poll.” As such, it called for an independent inquiry into the matter, exemplary measures to ensure free and fair polls and to penalize the defaulters.
