Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Five polling personnel were suspended in Assam after it emerged that 181 votes were cast in a booth that had 90 eligible voters.The incident was reported from the 107(A) Khothlir Lower Primary School polling booth in the Haflong Assembly segment. The Dima Hasao District Election Officer ordered a re-poll in the booth.It was an auxiliary polling station of the main voting centre at Mouldam Lower Primary School. The incident came to the fore on April 4, two days after polling was held in the booth.Some villagers had reportedly come with their own list of voters and refused to accept the official voters’ list. The constituency had recorded 74% voting as against the statewide average of 80.96%.Assam’s Chief Electoral Officer, Nitin Khade said during scrutiny, it was found that the presiding officer and the polling officers had allowed 181 persons to cast their votes.“The presiding and the first polling officers in their statements have admitted that they allowed the voters registered against the main polling station to cast their votes in the auxiliary polling station,” Khade said.He said taking note of the lapse, the District Election Officer suspended the sector officer, the presiding officer, and three other polling officers.“The auxiliary polling station…has been created for the first time to facilitate the voters in the remote area as the polling percentage in the last Parliamentary election was only 34,” Khade added.
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