\nReasserting that the poll was marred by wide-scale proxy voting and poll rigging by NPF supporters, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president S.I Jamir said the \u201csilence of church and the NGOs\u201d would imply that they have endorsed the \u201canti-social activities\u201d of NPF during the election.
\nIn a rebuttal to NPF\u2019s appreciation of the church and Naga NGOs for what it claimed as \u201clarge turnout\u201d by the people to cast votes on April 9 polls, Jamir said it was up to the church and the NGOs to accept the appreciation from NPF or not.
\nHe however said elections were totally battered by large-scale proxy voting and poll rigging by the NPF. The silence maintained by the church indicated that it has endorsed the election-malpractices of NPF, said Jamir.
\nAccording to a report, the Congress leader said the Church remained a mute spectator despite the fact that the issue being brought to public domain.
\nThis, he said was also clear indication of endorsing and supporting NPF\u2019s nexus with BJP – a communal party and accepting the ideologies and principles of RSS – the Hindu right wing organization.
\nNagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) had carried out massive Clean Election Campaign since 2013 but that has not worked and so far the Baptist church has turned a deaf ear to the criticisms from various quarters, said the NPCC president.
\nThe NPCC president on behalf of his party also strongly condemned the recent violence in Assam which has claimed several innocent lives. He blamed the activities of the communal forces for the violence and added that peaceful atmosphere was vitiated by BJP and resulted into loss of several lives.
\nNPCC also reiterated its demand for re-poll in hundreds of polling stations which have polled over 90%. The party leaders said it would stand by their demand for re-poll stating that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had assured to look into the anomalies.
\nNPCC reminded that AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro in a letter to the ECI stated that it was during the February 2013 state assembly elections that a similar situation had taken place wherein the incumbent home minister and senior member of NPF Imkong L. Imchen was caught ferrying Rs. 1.07 crores in cash along with arms and ammunition including US made carbine guns and five 9 mm pistols, among others in vehicle.
\nAlso an amount of Rs. 1 crore was seized from one Nyemlu Phom, an NPF candidate by Assam Rifles. Even after the red-handed confiscation of such a huge amount of money and ammunition which were instances of gross violation of the election norms and code of conduct, no substantive action was taken on the perpetrators by the ECI, NPCC president said.
\nFaleiro had also said NPF had blatantly misused power in the recently held polls by not only by violating the fundamental premise of free and fair elections but also threatening the very foundations of the constitutional provisions in a historic democracy.
\nHe urged the ECI to take all corrective measures to let the \u201cwill of the people\u201d prevail in a sensitive state like Nagaland.
\nThe Congress general secretary demanded declaring the election as \u201cnull and void\u201d and notify for holding of fresh elections. This would not only restore faith of the people in the democratic process but also help in thwarting the repetition of similar instances in the future, Faleiro had stated.
\nThe Congress said since 2003, the year when Neiphiu Rio came to power, elections were marred by large-scale proxy voting and poll riggings by NPF. NPCC also reiterated that it would not depute counting agents if ECI failed to take corrective measures.
\nNPCC has also convened a meeting on Tuesday to chalk out further course of action.
\nNPCC had written a complaint letter to the Returning Officer (RO) stating that there were more than a thousand booths which have polled more than 90% and that there were no micro observers in many polling stations which recorded more than 90%.
\nIn many polling stations, only one polling agent of a political party was present though there were three candidates and many presiding officers, their reports were not consistent, said NPCC.
\nNPCC has also insisted that presiding officers\u2019 polling registers which recorded voters\u2019 signatures and thumb impressions were suspected to be not genuine and that those should be authenticated through forensic tests.
\nIn view of the observation, NPCC requested the ECI to recommend re-poll in all the polling booths which polled more than 90%.
\nThe party has also demanded for viewing the web-cast and timing of the webcasting in 84 polling stations as part of scrutiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"