Polling suspended in three villages

Polling suspended in three villages
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 25
Incidents of bogus voting and incorrect voter lists were reported in Rajouri district during the fourth phase of the panchayat elections in the Jammu division today.The complaints of bogus voting had also been made to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) earlier, yet the “lackadaisical” approach of the officials concerned resulted in the suspension of polling at Dharamsal and Batta villages in the Raipur Kotha area and Loka village near Nowshera today.

It also resulted in minor clashes between the rival groups, as the candidates for the posts of sarpanch and panch and their supporters accused each other of indulging in bogus voting.

Senior officials of the district administration, including the local SDM, had to rush to these villages to take stock of the situation and get the polling resumed. At Dharamsal village, it was alleged that someone polled the vote of a dead woman. Similarly, at the Batta polling station in the Raipur Kotha area, another woman allegedly polled the vote of Sheila Devi, resulting in the suspension of polling from 11 am to 1 pm. At Loka village also the polling was suspended for a few minutes due to a similar incident.

However, the officials concerned claimed that everything was normal and no one was injured in the clashes.

Khwaja Ghulam Mohammad, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, said, “Though some minor incidents took place at three polling stations, the entire exercise concluded peacefully”. He added that, “As of now, no one has demanded re-polling and 84 per cent of the total voters exercised their right to franchise”.