By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 3: VPP supremo Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit slammed the ruling dispensation over what he called “rigged” elections in JHADC last month.
The VPP, which came a distant second and conceded power to NPP and its allies, made this frontal allegation for the first time.
Participating in the debate on the Governor’s address on Monday at the state Assembly, Basaiawmoit blamed the NPP-led government for booth rigging in several polling stations in Jaintia Hills.
He strongly objected to the Governor’s statement that the ADC elections were conducted in a free and fair manner through effective measures taken by the district administration and police.
Basaiawmoit alleged that free and fair elections took place only in the KHADC and not JHADC. He claimed that the VPP would have formed the Executive Committee in JHADC if free and fair elections were held.
According to Basaiawmoit, the VPP was informed about a tradition in Jaintia Hills where village leaders impose their decision on the villagers in favour of a particular candidate.
Terming this as booth rigging, Basaiawmoit said that in one of the polling stations, the NPP candidate “sponsored” by the village leaders/elders got 593 out of 609 valid votes while in another polling station in Wapungskur, the NPP candidate “sponsored” by the village elders got 656 out of 782 valid votes.
“In Khliehriat, the candidate ‘sponsored’ by the village elders got 778 out of 780 votes. What kind of election is this?” he questioned while adding that the voters were even asked to surrender their EPIC cards to the village elders.
He further claimed that a villager was “abducted” for some hours in Nartiang while another was about to be thrown off a bridge for not heeding the diktat of the village elders.
NPP MLA from Jowai, Wailadmiki Shylla condemned the VPP chief for making such accusations.
“Where they (VPP) won, elections were fair and where they could not win, elections were unfair. It is sad to hear such allegations,” Shylla said while adding that everyone worked hard to ensure free and fair elections in the JHADC.
