UDF demands repolling in 110 booths in Kasaragod

KANNUR: With the bogus voting controversy gaining heat, the UDF has demanded repolling in more than 110 polling booths in Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency, where over 90% polling was recorded. In a complaint given to the Election Commission, state chief electoral officer and also the district collectors of Kasaragod and Kannur, who are the district electoral officers, the UDF said there was widespread bogus voting in many places in the constituency spread in two Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

According to C K Sreedharan, the chief polling agent of UDF candidate Rajmohan Unnithan, there were huge violations of rules in many places in Kalliassery, Payyannur and Trikaripur as also some stations in Uduma and Kanhangad, and this has been brought to the notice of the authorities.

Despite the large-scale bogus voting, the polling officials were mute spectators, and no action was taken even after the votes of NRIs and dead persons were cast using fake ID cards. If the district electoral officers failed to take action against the culprits, the UDF will take legal measures, he said.

It was after some videos of suspected bogus voting came to the fore that the UDF has intensified the campaign and the party workers are examining the video footages in different booths.

Meanwhile, Kannur district collector Mir Muhammed Ali said he has submitted the preliminary report to the chief electoral officer regarding the alleged bogus vote, while Kasaragod district collector D Sajith Babu said the administration has begun investigation into the alleged incident of bogus voting in Trikaripur assembly segment.

In an official press release, Sajith Babu said that the inquiry has been initiated into the allegation that a person cast his vote twice in booth number 48 in Trikaripur. As part of this, the collector has recorded the statements of Akshaya entrepreneur Jithesh, who did the webcasting in the booth, and also the polling officials there and booth-level officer T V Bhaskaran.

The voter, identified as K Shyamkumar, a resident of Karakkad near Cheemeni, who was seen entering the polling station twice, has been served notice under Section 33 of CrPC to appear before the district collector on Tuesday. If he failed to appear for taking statement, legal steps, including arrest proceedings, would be taken against him, said the collector. He also said appropriate follow-up measures would be taken on the basis of the recorded statements and footages of the webcasting.

WHAT UDF SAYS

There was widespread bogus voting in many booths in Kalliassery, Payyannur and Trikaripur and also in some booths in Uduma and Kanhangad

Polling officials were mute spectators to bogus voting in these booths

No action was taken against any person even after the votes of NRIs and dead persons were cast using fake ID cards

Response of collectors

Kannur district collector Mir Muhammed Ali has submitted the preliminary report to the chief electoral officer regarding alleged bogus voting

Kasaragod district collector D Sajith Babu said the administration has begun probe into the allegations of bogus voting in Trikaripur

In Thrikaripur, one person, K Shyamkumar, a resident of Karakkad near Cheemeni, who was seen entering the polling station twice, has been served notice under section 33 of CrPC to appear before the district collector on Tuesday