HT Digital,
Guwahati, April 27: Allegations of election officials favouring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during home voting for senior citizens have emerged in two incidents in northeastern states.
The first incident was reported by H. Suresh Sharma, the election agent of A. Bimol Akoijam, the opposition Congress candidate in Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, who filed a written complaint alleging undue influence by a booth level officer (BLO) of Chingmeirong Manning Leikai in Imphal.
A 93-year-old resident was allegedly told to vote for the BJP candidate, Th. Basanta Singh. The BLO was replaced after the district election office found the complaint lacked concrete evidence.
A similar incident was reported in Assam’s Tinsukia district, where discrepancies were found in the home voting process. The involved officials were barred from election duties. The northeastern states are set to go to polls on April 19, 26, and May 7. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP and its allies won 18 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the region.
