The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that re-polling will be held on 30 April at six polling stations in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency. The directive comes after reports of tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). The systems were revealed during preliminary voting on April 26. The affected polling stations are located in Ukhrul and Senapati districts, with four in Ukhrul assembly constituency and one each in Chingai and Karong.
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“The Election Commission of India has directed under Section 58(2) and 58A(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that polling be held on 26th April, 2024 (Friday) in respect of 6 polling stations listed below. Table 2- Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituency will be voided and renumbered on April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) with polling timings from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the said polling stations. The date for voting will be appointed by the PM,” an official statement said, as quoted by PTI.
What happened on voting day?
On the day of polling, several stations reported EVMs and VVPATs being damaged before the polling process was completed. EVMs at one station malfunctioned, while another station faced repeated disruptions due to threats from unknown persons.
The report said that as a result, the voting records of these stations have been declared invalid, necessitating re-polling to ensure that all constituents have the opportunity to cast their vote.
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The decision comes amid ongoing ethnic tension in the region, which sometimes erupts into violence. Recently, firing and makeshift mortar clashes broke out between two rival community groups in Kautruk village in Imphal West district, underscoring the volatile situation.
The purpose of re-polling is to restore the integrity of the electoral process in these troubled areas and to preserve the democratic rights of voters despite the challenges posed by the current environment.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Published: 28 April 2024, 10:47 am IST
