IMPHAL, October 25: Bharatiya Janta Party, Manipur Pradesh has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner of India urging him to ensure free and fair poll in the upcoming 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly Election.
Addressing media persons today at the office of BJP Manipur Pradesh, state president Sh. Shantikumar stated that a delegate of state BJP met Election Commission of India (ECI) officials in New Delhi yesterday and later submitted a memorandum to him earnestly entreating him to take up adequate steps to ensure the forthcoming election in the state a free and fair election.
“The BJP delegate was satisfied with the assurance given by ECI officials on their demand”, Shantikumar said.
However, he said they were not satisfied with Prime Minister Manmohon Singh’s remarks when he said that the Central Government was considering the proposal of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj for a visit to Manipur by leaders of all political parties headed by him.
In the memo, the party said the sanctity of democracy cannot be maintained due to lack of taking up certain measures to provide free and fair election in the state by the ECI for the last several decades because the so called election in the state is almost converted to be a dirty game of auction of voters by the so called electoral players of voting games.
Impersonation, booth capturing reaches its peak somewhere in the state and voting is over before 24 hours ahead of the poll hour, BJP alleged.
The party said in almost all the 20 assembly segments of the hill districts of the state, the majority of voters have not been getting the opportunity to cast their votes in favour of any party or candidate of their choice for the last 60 years.
“Their franchise have been fortified and they are bound to obey the dictates of the underground organizations or the civil societies which work in tune with the agenda of undergrounds for several decades”, BJP alleged.
In the polling booths of valley districts also, impersonation or booth capturing in almost all the hypersensitive booths which are considered home polls of candidates have a usual phenomenon, it said, adding that the state forces are sometimes used as ‘political police’ by the ruling party in the state for getting its party candidates elected in the State assembly Election.
The party also urged the ECI to deploy Central forces in the election to the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly in place of state forces and demanded installation of video cameras in all the hypersensitive polling booths in the valley.
It further demanded that the militants or cadres of the underground groups with whom the Government of India having cease fire agreement or Suspension of Operation (SoO) be strictly instructed to stay in their respective designated camps so as to check them dictate over the issue of election in the state.
Some special measures be taken up to check the extraordinary role of money in the election behind the screen which may be considered hidden power to woo the voters, BJP further urged the ECI.
