Persons found deliberately tampering candidates' list will be punished: Mizoram CEO

Newmai News Network
AIZAWL, May 21: Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Ashish Kundra on Tuesday said that any person if found deliberately tampering the candidates' list on polling day (April 11) in Lunglei district will be punished as per laws.
Addressing a press conference here in the afternoon, Kundra said an investigation was launched following a complaint filed by Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM)-Congress alliance that the name of their joint candidate had been wrongly placed in the candidates' list displayed in various polling stations in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district on April 11, the day the state went for Lok Sabha polls.
“Soon after the complaint we had sought explanation from officials who gave elaborate explanations stating that the erroneous candidates' list were rectified and replaced one day ahead of voting except in some far flung polling stations due to poor connectivity,” he said.
Kundra said that they had also intimated and explained the matter to the complainant(s).
“We are still enquiring the matter and action will be certainly taken against persons involved in the case if it was intentionally done to harm the prospect of a candidate,” the CEO said.
On April 11, ZPM-Congress alliance in Aizawl and Lunglei submitted separate complaints to election officials alleging that the name of their joint candidate Lalnghinglova Hmar had been misplaced in candidates' list displayed in various polling stations in Lunglei district till the last hour of polling.
The ZPM-Congress alliance had alleged that many voters cast their votes against their candidates due to the mistake as illiterate voters like in Lunglei were normally told to cast their votes on the basis of the candidates' list (serial wise).
Displeased with the response from the CEO office, the ZPM-Congress alliance again lodged a fresh complaint on April 18. This was followed by an FIR lodged by the legal cell of the Congress on April 30 at Lunglei police station. The FIR was however, rejected on the ground that the matter is rest with the Election Commission.