ITANAGAR, Apr 30: The state unit of the National People’s Party (NPP) has demanded re-poll at the Taba and Nampe polling stations under the Koloriang assembly constituency in Kurung Kumey district, alleging that genuine voters were not allowed to vote during the re-polling which was held on 27 April.
“Considering the sensitivity and prevailing law and order situation,” the NPP suggested to the chief electoral officer (CEO) here to conduct the re-polling centrally in Koloriang in order to avoid law and order problems, and requested that sufficient security forces be deployed to ensure free and fair conduct of re-poll.
In a press release, state NPP vice president Nima Sangey Saling said he called on CEO Kaling Tayeng on Tuesday and “apprised him of the entire episode and the CEO assured to urgently take up the matter with the authority concerned and sought cooperation and maintenance of peace in the area for free and fair conduct of election in the constituency.”
Based on reports received from the NPP’s MLA candidate for Koloriang, Pani Taram, and his election agent Arun Yangfo, the NPP in its representation to the CEO said, “The magistrate and police officers on duty had ensured 147 genuine voters of Taba polling station to exercise their adult franchise, but on re-poll day, they were not allowed to cast their votes. The genuine voters were badly tortured and maximum of them were forcefully dragged out from Taba village.”
The NPP alleged that the genuine voters of the Nampe polling station were also not allowed to exercise their adult franchise.
NPP workers took out a protest rally in Koloriang and urged the Kurung Kumey district election officer (DEO) to conduct re-poll at the two polling stations, the release added.
Levelling similar allegations, NPP candidate Taram also on Monday submitted
a complaint letter to the Kurung Kumey DEO and demanded re-poll at the Taba and Nampe polling stations.
Meanwhile, the brother-in-law of Lokam Tassar, the BJP candidate for the Koloriang assembly constituency, has sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in preventing poll-related violence from escalating in Kurung Kumey district.
Addressing journalists at Arunachal Press Club here on Tuesday, Tassar’s brother-in-law, Bengia Bado, claimed that the situation in Koloriang constituency has escalated beyond control due to poll-related violence.
Bado urged the top brasses of the National People’s Party (NPP) in the state to live up to their responsibility to preserve stability and peace and uphold democratic practices to bring an end to the violence.
He also urged the supporters of both the contesting candidates to refrain from violence and seek to solve electoral disputes peacefully while upholding the established institutional mechanisms.
Extending condolences to the bereaved family of Taba village gaon burah Bengia Tamang, who died in poll-related violence, Bado asked all the stakeholders not to let a few politically motivated persons take advantage of the unfortunate incident.
“It is unfortunate that a few individuals are now taking advantage of the incident and aggravating the situation by declaring some particular individuals as alleged perpetrators of the killing,” said Bado.
Seeking a CBI inquiry into the violent incident that led to the GB’s death, Bado urged everyone to observe restraint and let the law of the land take its own course of action.
“I appeal to all the denizens of Koloriang to refrain from civil disorder and remain peaceful and united to ensure that no force or conspiracy derails our democratic development,” he said.
Koloriang remains tense because of election-related violence. The SP’s office was ransacked on Monday, and a bundle of 37 gelatin sticks was recovered from the helipad there. The explosive device was apparently targeted at the helicopters being engaged in transporting the electronic voting machines from the polling stations where re-polling was held.
