Five suspended over ‘vote theft’ allegations in Kerala
TRIVANDRUM: The district collector of Kannur on Friday suspended four polling officials and a videographer hired to record polling following allegations of bogus voting.
The punitive action followed the complaint of the grandson of a 92-year-old woman whose vote was cast by a local leader of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). All senior citizens who have crossed 85 and people with severe disabilities are allowed to vote from home. The polling officials take the ballot box to their homes, and they cast their vote with their help.
Kerala will vote in the second phase of the national elections on Friday, while absentee voting began last week.
The collector, the district election officer (DEO), acted ater inspecting the surveillance camera footage from their home in Kalliasseri.
It showed the CPI (M) leader, identified as Ganeshan, entering the enclosure for the secret ballot and marking her vote before the nonagenarian, Devi, could do anything.
Kalliasseri, considered a CPI (M) bastion, is part of the Kasaragod parliamentary constituency, where Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan seeks re-election.
As per the rules, polling agents of any party cannot assist voters in exercising their franchise. However, the officials remained mere spectators while Ganeshan did it.
Those suspended include a special polling officer, polling assistant, micro observer and special police officer. The local police will register a criminal case against the leader.
The Kalliasseri assembly segment has 1,489 home voters, and the opponents say this could not be the only case of “ballot stealing” and demand repolling for all of them.
“When voting was conducted at Devi’s house, it was observed that there was external interference leading to a loss of the secret nature of the vote,” an official release said.
The officials and the CPI (M) leader face charges of interference in the voting process and violation of the Representation of the People Act (maintenance of secrecy of voting).
Meanwhile, the election authorities assured the Kerala High Court that voting in all sensitive booths would be videotaped and federal forces deployed there.
The counsel for the Election Commission of India made the assurance when Justice Shobha Annamma Eapen began hearing Shafi Parambil’s petition.