Cong complains to EC on unauthorised display of ballots in Manipur

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The Congress has demanded the Election Commission reject two votes in Manipur cast during Rajya Sabha polls as the party alleged that two MLAs including the Speaker have shown their votes to agents present during the polls and the party has also produced a video to back its claim.

The Congress has fielded T. Mangi Babu and the BJP has fielded former King Leishemba Sanajaob.

In a memorandum to Election Commission, the Congress said “The Speaker Shri Y. Khemchand Singh Displayed his vote unauthorisedly to the Indian National Congress representative. The video recording will also demonstrate this fact. On the other hand, Shri. Ngamthang Haokip, MLA of the INC has shown his vote to the BJP’s authorised representative and generally to others present in the room as well. This can be established by a viewing of the video recording of the proceedings. “

The Congress has cited the order dated August 8, 2017 regarding the rejection of votes for elections to the Rajya Sabha.

This order was given by EC when Ahmed Patel was contesting and two votes were declared invalid on the same ground.

The latest political development come a day after the three-year-old BJP-led coalition government in Manipur headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh was on Wednesday night pushed into a political crisis as three BJP MLAs quit the party and joined the Congress and six legislators – four of NPP, one Trinamool and an independent — withdrew support.

The strength of the BJP-led alliance government has now been reduced to a minority in the Assembly, effective strength of which is 59, after Shyamkumar Singh, who had defected to the BJP from Congress, was disqualified.

–IANS

miz/kr