Polling personnel in Assam accused of favouring BJP in postal vote; Probe launched

Guwahati, April 8: As the nation gears up for the forthcoming general elections, a shocking incident has come to the fore in Assam’s Tinsukia district, where election officials allegedly favoured the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the postal vote, prompting action from the Tinsukia District Commissioner and District Election Officer, Swapneel Paul.

According to sources, the district election officer lodged an FIR against the officials who were allegedly involved and further ordered a magisterial probe into the matter.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Paul said, “A polling team was engaged for the purpose of home voting through postal ballot in 82-Doomdooma Assembly Segment under 12-Lakhimpur HPC, comprising Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee, senior branch manager (retd), Assam Gramin Vikash Bank as micro-observer, Bishnubrat Hazarika, lecturer, Tinsukia Polytechnic, and Monjyoti Chetia.”

“When the team submitted the polled postal ballot and the booklet containing counterfoils and un-polled postal ballot papers, it was found that 16 counterfoils had been used for 14 voters,” he said.

Paul further informed that the polling officials and the micro-observer have been barred from all kinds of election duties for the current general elections in Tinsukia district with immediate effect.