Outer Manipur: Congress demands re-poll in 17 polling stations, alleges booth capture & rigging

IMPHAL: The Congress party has raised concerns over the integrity of the recent elections in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, reserved for scheduled tribes, during its second and final phase.

Allegations of booth capture, rigging, and destruction have prompted the party to demand re-polling in 17 polling stations in Outer Manipur.

In a letter addressed to the chief electoral officer of Manipur, the state Congress unit highlighted reported incidents of firing, intimidation, and the destruction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at multiple polling booths within the Ukhrul assembly segment.

Reports indicate that approximately 70-80 unknown miscreants forcibly entered these polling stations between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Friday, disrupting the electoral process.

Disturbances were particularly reported at three polling stations in the Ukhrul assembly segment, leading to significant damage to EVMs and other polling materials.

The Congress alleges that at these 17 polling stations, booths were captured, polls were rigged, and voters were coerced into casting votes, with the party's polling agents reportedly being denied entry by armed individuals.

Despite the presence of polling officials and security personnel, no action was taken to address these incidents.

In light of these developments, the Congress has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to initiate necessary measures to conduct a re-poll or fresh poll in the affected polling stations within the 44-Ukhrul (ST) Assembly Constituency, emphasizing the importance of upholding justice and electoral integrity.

This demand for repolling comes after the Congress previously called for repolling in 47 polling stations following the first phase of elections, of which only 11 were granted repolls by the ECI in Manipur.