Manipur elections: NCP and BJP demand 'bogus' votes to be invalid

IMPHAL: Manipur units of NCP and BJP today said 'bogus' votes detected during the recent checking by comparing photos in electoral rolls and photos taken while polling should be declared 'invalid'.

Talking to medidapersons here, NCP president and former chief minister Radhabinod Koijam said Election Commission should not order repoll at the polling stations particularly in hill areas and Wabgai in Thoubal district as there was no guarantee that there would not be proxy votes again.

He said in Saikot and some other constituencies in hill districts, male voters cast votes in place of female voters and female voters also cast votes in place of male voters.

Koijam said at Muslim-dominated many polling stations in Wabgai, large scale proxy votes were reported by women voter using 'burkha'.

State BJP unit acting president Tiken Singh said the party would submit a memorandum to declare bogus votes as invalid saying there should not be repoll at the polling stations where proxy votes were reported.

Election office said the three observers of Election Commission who checked the photos of voters in electoral rolls and photos taken during polling found bogus votes following complaints from different quarters and returned to New Delhi on February 13 to submit their report to the commission.

Counting votes for 60 member Manipur assembly would be held on March 6 next. The elections were held on January 28 last.