Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 31 Dec: The Janata Dal (United)’s ZPM candidate from Pijerang constituency in Pakke-Kessang district, Ashok Welly has sought a re-poll, claiming discrepancies in the panchayati raj election held for the post of ZPM of Pijerang constituency on 22 December.
In a letter to the State Election Commission (SEC), the JD (U) candidate claimed that the total number of votes cast on 22 December for ZPM in Pijerang constituency was 1,759 (including 24 postal votes) according to the presiding officer’s closing slips of seven polling stations and the returning officer’s (RO) report.
“However, on 26 December, the date of counting, the total number of valid votes was 1,803 and 57 other invalid votes,” Welly claimed.
“The total number of votes amounts to 1,860. There is clear-cut discrepancy of 101 votes,” he said.
Welly also said that, during the counting process at the mini-secretariat in Pakke-Kessang, it was found that the voters’ slip of the Palin GPC was found at the Veo GPC polling box and the Veo GPC voters’ slip was found at the Sede GPC polling box.
“Astonishingly, a National People’s Party (NPP) voting slip was found at Palin GPC polling box, even though there is no candidate enrollment from the NPP,” he said.
Welly claimed that the counting agent raised objection in this regard before the RO during the counting process, “which was turned down and is available in the CCTV footage.”
Welly requested the SEC not to declare the BJP’s Pijerang ZPM candidate Naya Tana as the winner or allow him to take the oath of office “till the truth is revealed.”
Urging the SEC to declare the results from the RO’s office null and void, Welly said, “There should be immediate re-poll in 01-Pijerang ZPM constituency.”
He said he was hopeful that the SEC would “take the allegation with facts and records into consideration,” and sought necessary action against the officers involved in the illegal conduct, if any.