AGARTALA, May 15 (TIWN): At a time when, exit-poll predicted Modi led government at the centre, BJP Tripura State unit makes pitch high against Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashutosh Jindal in poll rigging case of Tripura. BJP reaction comes, soon after framing the charge against a teacher in poll malpractice case who had been performed duty as Presiding Officer in a polling booth of Bishalgarh in West Tripura.

The party accused ECI of misleading the investigation of poll manipulation to save CEO Jindal and other top officials of the election.

BJP State President Sudhindra Dasgupta alleged that role of ECI in case of poll manipulation in Tripura was not fair and impartial.

“With the advice of CEO, education department charged the presiding officer who had already retired from the service on April 30 for lack of his duty but there was no re-poll. It is most contradictory decision has been taken by ECI”, Dasgupta pointed out.

He further stated since charge has been framed against Presiding officer of a particular polling booth, it is established that there was malpractice in holding election and if it is so then re-poll was mandatory but ECI did not do it.

Since, ECI did not hold re-poll, they obviously concluded that there no malpractice; so how they framed charge against presiding officer, Dasgupta questioned adding that ECI has been trying to save CEO Jindal and other top officials of Tripura election and they made the teacher a scapegoat.

The way ECI accused the presiding officer is unjustified because the strain action against Assistant Returning Officer, Sector Officer, Micro observer and police personnel deployed in the booth has to be punished for the same cause and for manipulating facts and acting a partial role CEO Jindal has to be punished under R P Act and IPC sections.

“Ultimately, since there was no re-polling the accused Presiding Officer will be released on the ground that there was fair election, which we shall take to our party leaders in New Delhi after counting process is over and we shall make sure ECI to investigate the matter and take action against the CEO,” Dasgupta reiterated.

He however, lamented over the role of ECI and said when all the opposition unitedly voiced against rigging and booth capturing and deposited visual documents in favour of the allegations, ECI did not take minimum action against the accused officials and their in action virtually supported the poll related corruption of CPI-M in Tripura.

In similar allegation, ECI had to hold re-polling in several places of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal but in case of Tripura, ECI has taken condemnable role just to make the ruling CPI-M happy and save the top officers of Indian Administrative Service, he added.

BJP and Tripura Progressive Gramin Congress had observed dawn to dusk general strike in Tripura on May 12 demanding re-polling in Tripura and action against CEO Jindal and protesting against the role of ECI over poll manipulation.

Earlier News on this Issue :

www.tripurainfoway.com/news-details/TN/6267/poll-malpractice-charge-framed-against-po.html