Repoll testifies rampant malpractices: Dr Nara

 

 

By Our Staff Reporter

IMPHAL, Apr 22: CPI candidate in Inner Manipur PC has asserted that the Election Commission of India’s order to hold repoll at 12 polling stations has testified rampant malpractices and manipulations at several polling stations of Inner Manipur PC on April 18.

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, Dr Nara said that people now know at whose behest the polling process was twisted and manipulated.

All the 12 polling stations which would go to repoll belong to four Assembly segments which are represented by BJP MLAs and a Congress MLA who is supporting the BJP-led Government, Dr Nara pointed out. 

He said that people need to take a collective stand to throw out all the wrongdoers from their respective places of position, whether they be Ministers or MLAs. 

With the truth twisted and hidden, it is not known in which direction the society is heading. But a society cannot march ahead if it is directionless. As such, all the people need to be serious with electoral politics, Dr Nara said. 

It would not be right to see and treat politics as contract works or business enterprises and it’s time to defeat who have wronged politics, he asserted.

The existing electoral system is the root of corruption and there is a growing need to replace it with a proportional electoral system which has been already adopted in 75 countries. 

The existing electoral system is a system left behind by British colonial rulers and what India needs badly at present is reformation of the electoral system, Dr Nara said. 

“We would be compelled to live with corruption if we continue to uphold the current electoral system in which money power and muscle power often turn out to be deciding factors”, he said and added there is an urgent need to reform the electoral system.

Today electoral politics has been totally ‘contractualised’ and poor people are no more capable of joining electoral politics actively.

The situation is such that those individuals who do not indulge in thuggery do not stand any chance of winning election, Dr Nara remarked.

The situation is that one needs to buy people’s votes enmasse to be victorious in elections. People’s tendency and readiness to sell voting rights needs to be checked and rectified.   

Until and unless people’s outlook and understanding of democracy are changed, social reformation will remain an impossible task, he said.

Out of 28 polling stations where repoll was demanded, the ECI has ordered repoll at 12 polling stations and this is a humiliating defeat for the ruling parties and a sweet victory for the complainants. 

Independent candidate RK Kaiku said that voting rights of hundreds of youngsters were forfeited apart from buying votes with money in the election for Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat. 

PRJA convenor L Erendro said that repoll done/to be done at 19 polling stations of Outer Manipur PC and 12 polling stations of Inner Manipur PC is a big blot to the country’s democracy.