Amid the allegations of rampant proxy voting in various polling stations in the second and final phase Manipur polls held on March 5, a large number of Congress supporters tried to storm the Thoubal deputy commissioner’s office.
The protesting Congress workers demanded not to take the counting of votes for the Wangjing-Tentha constituency of the district unless a proper verification is done to the voting that had taken place in some polling stations of the constituency.
They alleged that BJP workers indulged in mass proxy voting in as many as nine polling stations by preventing voters from entering inside the polling stations to cast their votes.
Placards with slogans demanding re-poll in the polling stations 35/9 to 35/17 and proper verification of the CCTV cameras installed at the polling stations to know the truth of the alleged proxy voting were also displayed during the protest.
The protesters were prevented from entering the deputy commissioner office by the security personnel guarding the office complex.
Congress candidate M Hemanta Singh contesting the poll from the constituency who led the protesters alleged that voters were not allowed to cast their votes in the nine polling stations even as they turned out to exercise their franchise.
He demanded that the EVMs for the Wangjing-Tentha constituency should not be taken up for counting on March 10 unless proper verification is done.
The Congress candidate claimed that the allegation of proxy voting in the said polling stations can also be easily verified from the thumb impression of the voters at the time of casting the votes.
He went on to allege that except the polling agents of BJP candidates, agents of no other candidates in the fray from the constituency were not allowed to sit inside the polling stations.
The candidate then said that he will lodge a written complaint to the Thoubal DC who is also the district election officer (DEO) demanding re-polls in these polling stations.
On the other hand, BJP candidate Kh Menjor from Khangabok constituency also demanded re-poll in some polling stations in the constituency while alleging that polling agents of JD(U) candidate had indulged in mass proxy voting.
Talking to the media on March 6, the BJP candidate alleged that at the home polling station of JD(U) candidate Th Jadumani, voters were not allowed to cast their votes.
