Probe complaints of irregularities, violations of MCC in DDC polls: Harsh

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: The activists of NPP on Tuesday submitted a memorandum in State Election Commission seeking a judicial probe into large scale irregularities, massive rigging and violation of MCC by state and central BJP leaders during the course of DDC polls.
The memorandum reads “There have been glaring irregularities and massive rigging in the conduct of elections for DDC in J&K. While the administrative machinery was openly abused by the BJP leadership, there has been tampering with the ballot boxes as well which needs to be probed through a high level agency. Not only are there reports of tampering with the ballot boxes but the strong room in District Udhampur where the aforesaid boxes were stored had no roof. No polling agent of Panthers Party was allowed to accompany the ballot boxes upto the strong room. The same symbols were allotted to more than one candidate for same election. For instance, JKAP was granted the symbol of bat for all constituencies of DDC. And there were candidates for Sarpanch elections who too had been given bat symbol thereby creating huge confusion. This was noticed particularly in Tikri constituency. Likewise tractor symbol was allotted to DSS party, but some Sarpanchs too had been given the said symbol. This happened particularly in District Udhampur. Transparency was given a go bye as the votes of several polling stations were intermingled. This was the most conspicuous deviation from the prevalent practice to dodge the opposition parties and favour the ruling party. In several ballot boxes, the votes were found in bundles especially Tikri, Khoon, Majalta, Ramnagar, Udhampur and Latti. The NPP workers were assaulted abused, manhandled with attempts on their lives but no action was taken by a biased administration which seemed to have granted immunity to BJP goons. The candidate for DDC Khoon constituency in District Udhampur was assaulted and abused by a drunken man named Prema who had admitted that he was sent by Ex BJP MLA of the area RS Pathania to assault her. But still the local administration failed to act.
Similarly one Pawan Rassal of DDC Basantgarh in District Udhampur was also assaulted by the said Ex BJP MLA RS Pathania. The witnesses had also confirmed that the Ex BJP MLA caused his PSOs to brandish their guns on Pawan Rassal threatening to kill him in case he continued to support Panthers Party. And still the said Ex-MLA was granted immunity from legal action in view of he being a BJP leader. Likewise the BJP leaders openly threatened to stop the Ration supply to BPL/APL families in case they did not vote for BJP.
The houseless were threatened that their names from PM Awas Yojana would be deleted in case they did not vote for BJP. Is this what we call as free and fair election? The MCC was brazenly violated by local as well as central BJP leaders with administration’s open support particularly in District Udhampur. Repeated requests for re-counting for Tikri, Majalta and Khoon DDC were refused by concerned officials.
There have been further glaring irregularities in the counting of votes for DDC elections, wherein the objections raised by the counting agents of opposition were summarily rejected. The local counting officials were seen openly favouring BJP in various Districts of Jammu region particularly Udhampur District. Wrong data was being provided to media with regard to results of various rounds during the counting process.