Row over investigation into alleged poll malpractice
Agartala: The BJP has accused the Election Commission (EC) of misleading the investigation of poll malpractice during just concluded Lok Sabha election in Tripura to save Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashutosh Jindal and other top officials.
BJP state unit reacted sharply reaction to framing of charge against a teacher who had been appointed as a presiding officer in a polling booth of Bishalgarh in West Tripura by the education department.
BJP state president Sudhindra Dasgupta alleged that role of EC in case of poll manipulation in Tripura was not fair. “With the advice of CEO, education department charged the presiding officer who had already retired from the service on April 30 for lack of his duty but there was no re-poll,” he alleged.
A contradictory decision has been taken by EC in regard to malpractice in election and the role of CEO Jindal and other officials of the state election machinery, Dasgupta pointed out.
He further stated since charge has been framed against presiding officer of a particular polling booth, it is established that there was malpractice in holding election and if it is so then re-poll was mandatory but EC did not do it.
Since the EC did not hold re-poll, they obviously concluded that there no malpractice; so how they framed charge against presiding officer, Dasgupta questioned adding that the EC has been trying to save CEO Jindal and other top officials of Tripura election and they made the teacher a scapegoat.
The way EC accused the presiding officer is not justified because the strain action against Assistant Returning Officer, Sector Officer, Micro observer and police personnel deployed in the booth has to be punished for the same cause and for manipulating facts and acting a partial role CEO Jindal has to be punished under R P Act and IPC sections.
“Ultimately, since there was no re-polling the accused presiding officer will be released on the ground that there was fair election, which we shall take to our party leaders in New Delhi after counting process is over and we shall make sure EC to investigate the matter and take action against the CEO,’ Dasgupta reiterated.
He lamented the EC’s role saying when all the opposition unitedly voiced against rigging and booth capturing and deposited visual documents in favour of the allegations, EC did not take minimum action against the accused officials. (UNI)