ITANAGAR, Apr 19: Senior BJP leader and Nyapin MLA candidate Bamang Felix has outright denied the allegation of booth capturing and violence in his constituency by BJP supporters, as alleged by Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Takam Sanjoy.
In a hurriedly convened press conference at Arunachal Press Club here on Friday, Felix said, “The allegation levelled by APCC president Takam Sanjoy, of booth capturing, violence and assaults, I term it baseless with no iota of truth. It has no basis, just an act of frustration as the people have rejected the Congress party.”
Felix said the allegation was “a desperate move by Sanjoy to give an audit report to his high command in Delhi by blaming the BJP” as the Congress party was unable to field candidates in all the constituencies in the state.
On the contrary, Felix said, “there was plenty of violence initiated by the Congress candidate for the Nyapin constituency.”
He claimed that about 50 to 60 Congress supporters, “armed with weapons like hammers and daos,” stopped his cars on 1 April, when he was on his way from Sangram to Nyapin on election campaign.
“I was pulled down from my car and they made an attempt on my life. Somehow my PSO saved me,” Felix said.
Also denying Sanjoy’s allegation that the state government sabotaged the electioneering process, he said, “The Indian parliamentary system is so transparent, Takam Sanjoy himself knows it, as he won the election in 1995 while being in the opposition party, and in 2014 he lost the election when he was in the ruling party.
“So, blaming the ruling party has no basis,” Felix said.
“The EVMs of 36 polling stations under the Nyapin assembly constituency have safely reached the strong-room. There was no violence and no booth capturing; so where is the question of re-polling?” he asked, in response to the Congress’ demand for re-polling.
“I outright deny the concocted allegation of the APCC. The people have rejected the Congress party, and now they are making an issue on the social media. They are trying to tell the whole world what their activities are,” Felix said.
He said a justification has to be established for seeking re-polling. “Re-polling cannot be done merely on the basis of someone’s allegation,” he said.
‘Trace missing presiding officer’
Felix meanwhile urged the election commission to trace the whereabouts of the presiding officer of the Pating polling station, Langpu Arun.
It is alleged that Arun had written a letter to the returning officer on 13 April, stating that he was in a “dangerous place,” and that BJP supporters had indulged in booth capturing.
“I appeal to the election commission to trace the whereabouts of Langpu Arun. Whether he has written the letter consciously or under duress, I think there must be a threat perception to him. If there is sensitive information, he should come in person to submit the sensitive information to the returning officer,” Felix said.
He said the Sangram SDO was also badly manhandled and forced to write a letter to the chief electoral officer to conduct re-polling at the Pating and Cheki polling stations.
“Under duress, the SDO had to call the general poll observer. Isn’t this gundagardi (hooliganism)?” Felix said.
