TURA, Oct 22: In a big blow to the election campaign of the ruling NPP, the returning officer for Rajabala by-election has issued a letter directing the party to restrain GHADC Chief Executive Member Benedic R Marak from campaigning in the constituency.
The order was issued after an inquiry found the CEM to be present in one of the villages under Rajabala well past the 7 pm campaign deadline on the night the alleged threat to voters is said to have been made.
The CEM stands accused of visiting Belbari Tillapara village under Rajabala constituency on October 18 where the verbal threat is alleged to have been made against voters. He was allegedly peeved with the low turnout for the late night meeting.
However, the inquiry report does not find any evidence of election coercion made in the audio.
“The inquiry report shows that in the audio there is no mention about election or demand of vote for any particular candidate. But, the probe finds that the CEM was present in the area on that night well past the election campaign guidelines,” said returning Officer CN Sangma while speaking to The Shillong Times on Friday.
The villagers from the concerned area are said to have told the probe team about the CEM’s entry to their village at night and also confirmed that the voice on the audio tape belonged to him.
The campaign period for candidates and political parties is restricted to a nine-hour window from 10 am to 7 pm with adherence to COVID protocols such as limited number of people.
Given that CEM Benedic Marak is one of the star campaigners of the party for Rajabala, there is every possibility that a similar attempt could be made to violate the guidelines which was why the letter has been given to the NPP district president JD Sangma by the Returning Officer.
“He (CEM) has not been banned but he may be restrained from entering Rajabala constituency until the election process is over,” the returning officer clarified.
Meanwhile, a meeting of Congress leaders, party functionaries and workers, scheduled for Saturday at Tura Congress Bhawan, has been disallowed by the returning officer.
The denial of permission is based on the Election Commission of India restrictions in place for the ongoing by-elections in three constituencies of the state.