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Bihar poll countermanded, EC transfers top officials

Shaji Joseph in Patna

The Election Commission on Friday countermanded the February 16 polling held for the Patna Lok Sabha constituency, as it found the allegations of largescale electoral malpractices to be true.

Declaring the election process as 'null and void', the Election Commission ordered the state administration to immediately transfer the deputy inspector general, the senior superintendent of police, the district magistrate and several other officers of Patna district who were in charge of the polling which was held on Monday last.

In the wake of rampant hooliganism, massive looting and terrorising of bona fide voters, which was allegedly orchestrated by supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the EC had received over 400 complaints. The chief electoral officer of Bihar, A K Basu, had also given his recommendation for holding a repoll in the entire constituency. Following this, the Election Commission sent K J Rao, secretary to the commission, to Patna to hear complaints into charges of massive rigging by ruling party supporters to which the local administration remained a mute spectator.

Despite the availability of central security forces, the state administration had "failed" to deploy them in booths which were pointed out by the commission as being super-sensitive.

Deposing before the one-man inquiry committee, the BJP nominee from Patna, Dr C P Thakur, complained that although the RJD workers had reduced the entire electoral process into a mockery, neither the local administration nor the central observers were present to deter the rampant misuse of power and muscle tactics. He cited several instances of snatching of ballot papers in areas like Patna city, Digha and intimidation of voters, especially women, at several places.

Similar complaints were also raised before the commission by the Janata Dal nominee, M M Kasim and CPI-ML candidate Saroj Chaubey. Deposing before the commission, the RJD candidate, Ram Kripal Yadav, refuted the charge of his rivals saying that the BJP was unnerved by the large percentage of voting since most of the poor people had exercised their franchise. He had also termed the poll as unprecedented in terms of both voter turnout and its peaceful conduct.

The one-man inquiry committee submitted its report to the three-member Election Commission which found the charge of malpractices to be true and ordered cancellation of the poll exercise that took place in all the booths of Patna constituency. Incidentally, the Patna Lok Sabha segment is acquiring notoriety of being the only constituency in the state where either repolling or countermanding as well as cancellation of polls has been ordered for the fourth consecutive time.

Elections '98

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