Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 7: Alleging large scale irregularities, manipulations and massive rigging in the conduct of DDC polls in District Udhampur, Panthers Party activists, led by Harshdev Singh – Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, held a protest demonstration outside the Office of State Election Commissioner J&K at Jammu today.
Raising slogans against the State Election authorities and the then District administration Udhampur, the protesters sought immediate nullification of DDC elections held last year in Udhampur District besides punitive action against the erring officers.
Speaking to media persons, Mr Singh maintained that not only were the complaints made by NPP to SEC and District Udhampur authorities during and after the said elections disregarded, but the State Election machinery was seen openly promoting the ruling party candidates and allowing them to brazenly use the administrative paraphernalia in furtherance of their electoral prospects.
He said that the disclosures made in belated reply to an RTI are sensational and reveal irregularities of grave nature having been committed in the process of the DDC polls thus necessitating nullification of the said elections.
Mr Singh claimed that the reply to RTI application had admitted that there were discrepancies in District Udhampur in the number of votes polled on the day of polling and the votes actually found in the ballot boxes in 12 out of the 14 DDC constituencies of the said District. “And while there was no difference between the votes polled and votes found in ballot boxes in all other Districts as per the reply of SEC, it was District Udhampur alone where such discrepancies had been noticed,” he said.
“With regard to query raised in the RTI application regarding roofless rooms used for storing ballot boxes, the reply has admitted that the storage of all ballot boxes of various DDC constituencies of District Udhampur was done in several wooden compartments of a multipurpose hall except those of Chenani,” said Mr Singh.
Calling upon the Election Commission to declare the DDC elections of District Udhampur as null and void in view of disclosures made in RTI reply, Mr Singh said that party would launch massive public awareness campaign against the brazen subversion of democracy and blatant bulldozing of constitutional guarantees in J&K especially in District Udhampur.
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