Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 28
Nagaland’s Chief Electoral Officer (Officiating) N. Moa Aier today clarified that there is “no question of any partiality or any kind of dereliction of duty on the part of the election department in giving copies of Form 10 to the candidates/election agents.”
He was responding to allegation made by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) that the CEO Nagaland issued shortage of Polling Agent forms to INC candidate, whereas, surplus forms were issued to other political party candidates in the recent Lok Sabha Elections, 2019 from Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency.
Addressing a press conference here today, Aier pointed out that Form 10, which is for the appointment of Polling Agent, is given to the candidates on demand and not to the political parties.
“Whatever number of forms were asked by each of the candidates/election agent that many were given by the office of CEO,” he said.
Aier also recalled that that it is not mandatory that only the copies of Form 10 provided from the office of CEO or RO/AROs were to be used for the appointment of polling agents by the candidates.
Any candidate, he said, if he so desired, could also get the Form 10 typed out in exactly the same format as contained in the conduct of Election Rules 1961 and in the handbook for candidates (both available on the Election Commission of India website and a hard copy of the Handbook was provided to the candidates also) or download from internet, make copies of the same as per the need, and use them for appointment of polling agents.
The officiating CEO therefore told the press conference that the election department has done nothing wrong and is ready for any enquiry.
It may be recalled that Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has recently submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Nagaland for setting up an impartial ‘Enquiry Committee’ to dig out the facts and circumstances leading to the dereliction of duty by the office of the CEO Nagaland.
