Assam: FIR, magisterial probe against 3 polling personnel for issuing extra ballots in home voting

Tinsukia (Assam): An FIR has been lodged and a magisterial inquiry ordered against three polling personnel in Assam's Tinsukia district over allegations of issuing extra ballot papers during home voting, a top official said on Sunday.

Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul said the allegations were labelled against the personnel deployed for home voting through postal ballots in Doomdoma assembly constituency in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat on Saturday.

A team of three polling personnel, accompanied by one videographer and two policemen, were sent for the purpose in the morning.

The polling party reported in the evening that they could complete the postal ballot polling process for 14 electors as per the list given to them, he said.

"However, when they submitted the polled postal ballots and the booklet containing counterfoil and unpolled postal ballot papers, it was noticed that 16 counterfoils were used for 14 voters," the DC, who is also the district election officer, said.

Asked about the anomaly, the three polling personnel claimed that family members of an 88-year-old voter had objected to the poll procedure and demanded another ballot paper for him.

Family members of another 86-year-old voter in the neighbourhood also started raising the same demand, the official said.

The polling personnel issued extra postal ballot papers to both persons 'owing to pressure of the public and fearing their safety', Paul said.

"Taking cognizance of the fact that issuance of postal ballot twice to single voter is a gross negligence of duty which may tantamount to corrupt practice as one person can only vote once, an FIR against the personnel was lodged on Saturday," he said.

A magisterial enquiry by Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency Assistant Returning Officer Jabed Arman has been ordered, while the polling personnel have been debarred from all kinds of election duties for the current elections in Tinsukia district with immediate effect, the official said.

The departments from which the polling personnel were deployed have also been intimated and asked to initiate proceedings through a departmental enquiry, the DC added.

Lakhimpur will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.