BJP lodges complain to CEC about electoral malpractices

Kolkata, May 8 (UNI) The BJP in West Bengal today sought Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon's immediate intervention in a case of alleged electoral malpractice in a North Bengal polling booth.

Faxing a complaint letter to the CEC, with a copy to State Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) Debashis Sen, BJP South Dinajpur District President Biswanath Chatterjee today alleged that some people in the Balurghat assembly constituency in South Dinajpur district were issued postal ballots and allowed to cast their votes that way, though they were not appointed by the Commission either as polling officials or the presiding officers in the district ''in gross violation of election code of conduct''.

Seeking ''immediate and personal intervention'' of the CEC to sort out the matter at the earliest, Mr Chatterjee wondered how could such a dubious thing have happened in last of the five phase elections in the state despite strict monitoring by the Commission observers and other electional officials in favour of free and fair poll.

Incidentally, this is perhaps for the first time that state BJP's allegation about any electoral malpractice was directed against the Commission and not against the ruling parties.

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