Claims that NPCC stand is ‘vindicated’
DIMAPUR, MAY 11 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has stated that the low voting percentage in the May 10 repolls at Akhakhu and Naltoqa under 33 A/C “vindicates the stand of the NPCC that massive polling malpractices adorned the entire polling process for election to the 16th Lok Sabha from Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency.” The two polling stations had recorded a voting percentage of 31.25% and 41.37 respectively during the repolls.
DIMAPUR, MAY 11 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has stated that the low voting percentage in the May 10 repolls at Akhakhu and Naltoqa under 33 A/C “vindicates the stand of the NPCC that massive polling malpractices adorned the entire polling process for election to the 16th Lok Sabha from Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency.” The two polling stations had recorded a voting percentage of 31.25% and 41.37 respectively during the repolls.
The NPCC, in a press note reminded that both the polling stations had earlier polled more than 100% votes on April 9. As such, it reiterated the party’s demand for repolls in 1344 polling stations that polled over 90 % and above.
“The low voting percentage in the two re-polling stations is a befitting reply to the Returning Officer who had chosen to publicly rubbish the NPCCs claim on massive polling malpractices carried out by the NPF government and its workers across the state,” the NPCC stated. It added that the Nagaland Returning Officer’s report, which was published in the media, “is therefore uncalled for.” The NPCC reiterated that there is “hard evidences of low voter turnout followed by massive rigging and booth capturing.”
With regard to the RO “crediting high voter turnout on to the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign,” the NPCC stated that this “contradicts that of the state Chief Electoral Officer who had stated that high voter turnout is due to proxy voting,” as per a “statement published in the media on March 27, 2014.”
NPCC stated that over 1334 out of 2058 (excluding Ladigarh) polling stations polled over 90% votes “despite the voter turnout being abysmally low especially in urban areas.” It then expressed shock to find that “the EVMs were stuffed with random proxy voting by NPF workers in connivance with polling officials”
The NPCC further questioned as to what actions the Nagaland Returning Officer “had taken, at least on the polling station where voters with multiple voter slips were caught on CCTV footage.” It lamented that the RO has “failed to discharge his bounden duty as an official who was supposed to function with strict impartiality and uphold the neutrality of the election machinery.”
The NPCC further stated that it had, in the first place, “never questioned the integrity of the RO but had only demanded fair probe into the large scale polling malpractices that had made a mockery of the entire democratic process.” It asserted that the party would continue “its relentless fight against the polling malpractices that has subverted the principles of free and fair elections and has made a mockery of democracy in the state.”
