Imphal, Feb. 14 : The desktop monitor showed voter ID number GDW 0004523, under Irong poling station in Wabagai constituency of Thoubal district, to be that of a 51-year-old male.
The same monitor showed the corresponding photograph of the person who cast the vote for this man to be that of a young woman.
A few voters down the list, a similar scene was beamed by the monitor — on display for the benefit of the complainants, including candidates and their agents.
The two-day exercise of comparison of photographs of the voters captured by mobile cameramen of Election Commission and photographs shown on the voter identity cards completed today at the office complex of chief electoral officer P.C. Lawmkunga here this evening.
The comparison exercise was carried out under the strict supervision of three observers appointed by the Election Commission and the state’s chief electoral officer from yesterday.
Joint chief electoral officer N. Praveen Singh said the exercise was carried out following directives of the Election Commission after candidates and their agents complained of bogus voting in some of the polling stations on January 28.
Election Commission prepares the voter list with photographs of the voter. This voter list is with the Election Commission and presiding officers of the polling stations.
For example, A is a female voter with her name and photograph on the voter list. The Election Commission appointed-people have cellphones with cameras to take photographs of the voters after casting the vote to check if there is any proxy voting.
So, the Election Commission compared the photos of voters in the voter list and those who cast their vote. After taking the photographs of voters they made a comparison of the photographs of the real voter and the individuals who cast the votes.
The exercise was carried out in 176 polling stations in 13 Assembly constituencies in six districts.
The Election Commission observers saw the anomalies, discussed the matter with the returning officers, prepared their report, sealed it and left for New Delhi with the reports. “The observers will submit their findings to the Election Commission and the commission will take the final decision,” Praveen Singh said. He could not say whether the commission would order repoll or not.
Largescale proxy voting came to light during the two-day exercise. Of the 13 constituencies perhaps the worse is in Wabagai, which left Usham Deven Sing, Trinamul Congress canddiate “shocked”.
Deven who was elected on CPI ticket in the 2007 Assembly election is contesting on a Trinamul Congress ticket.
Three large monitors were put up at the office complex for viewing of voter ID cards and those who cast votes by candidates and their agents while the observers were carrying on the comparison inside a room.
Among the candidates who turned up to see the comparison exercise today was Md Allaudin Khan, rural development and panchayati raj minister. “I demand repoll in the polling stations where proxy voting was carried out,” he said.