Assam: Presiding officer in Karimganj suspended for ‘voting five times for BJP’

GUWAHATI: The district election officer (DEO) for Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in Assam has suspended a presiding officer of a polling station for allegedly voting multiple times for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate on an electronic voting machine (EVM).

This action by the DEO of Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in Assam followed a wide circulation of a video that purportedly depicted the electoral malpractice.

However, according to an official statement, the video was reportedly recorded during a “mock poll” conducted before the actual voting took place on April 26 in the constituency.

Following an investigation into the matter, the DEO suspended the presiding officer, Nazrul Haque Tapadar, citing “gross negligence and dereliction of duty”.

The suspension order highlighted the presiding officer’s failure to prevent individuals from carrying mobile phones into the polling booth, as evidenced by the video footage captured on a mobile device.

The video, which circulated widely on social media platforms, purportedly shows Abdul Sahid, a polling agent representing Independent candidate Abdul Hameed, repeatedly selecting the button corresponding to BJP candidate and incumbent MP Kripanath Mallah.

In response to the incident, the DEO's statement clarified that polling agents are typically permitted to cast a limited number of test votes in favour of candidates during mock polls.

However, further investigations are ongoing, including statements from other polling agents.

Polling officials implicated in the incident have been issued show cause notices, as per protocol.