New Delhi, May 7
While the Election Commission today
decided to send two separate teams of two members each to Siwan and Bettiah in
Bihar to probe allegations of rigging, indications are that the poll panel could
take some decision on the demand of countermanding the polls in Chapra
parliamentary constituency tomorrow.
The two teams would visit Siwan and
Bettiah on May 9.
Last week film director Prakash Jha, an independent candidate
from Bettiah, had complained to the Election Commission of electoral
malpractices, including capturing of booths.
There were eight candidates in the
fray in Siwan, including Mohammed Shahabuddin of the RJD, Mr Shankar Prasad
Yadav of the BSP and Mr Amar Nath Yadav CPI-ML (Liberation).
About Chapra,
sources said the EC was likely to take a decision tomorrow on demand for
countermanding the elections in Chapra in Bihar following allegations of
large-scale rigging.
The two-member team of Adviser K.J. Rao and Principal
Secretary Ananth Kumar which went to Chapra, was likely to submit its report to
the commission tomorrow, sources said.
The Samajwadi Party and the BSP have
also come out in support of BJP in demanding repoll in the constituency.
Meanwhile, the Left parties today alleged that certain poll observers, sent to
West Bengal from outside, were ‘pressurising’ voters or ‘casting aspersions’ on
their voting intentions and asked the Election Commission to take immediate
remedial measures against them.
A delegation of top CPI and CPM leaders, which
met the Election Commission here and presented a memorandum, named certain
observers, CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan told reporters after the
meeting.
As part of the poll preparations the commission has decided to deploy
as many as 1,103 companies of paramilitary forces for the last phase of Lok
Sabha elections on May 10 to ensure fair and peaceful polling, especially in
sensitive and hyper-sensitive booths.
