Assam polls: Grand Alliance urges EC to maintain transparency during vote counting

Guwahati, April 13 (PTI): The Congress-led ‘Mahajoth’ or Grand Alliance of opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission urging it to maintain transparency and impartiality during the counting of votes on May 2.

The alliance, comprising the Congress, AIUDF, BPF, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, RJD, Anchalik Gana Morcha, Adivasi National Party and Jimachayan Peoples’ Party, urged the EC to direct all the returning officers to furnish table- wise details of officials engaged in the counting of votes to all the contesting candidates.

The parties demanded that the returning officers be directed to ensure video recording of the counting tables and the process of carrying the EVMs from the strong room to the counting hall.

They urged the EC to allow authorised agents of the contesting candidates to be in front of the strong room after it is opened and till the counting process is over.

The parties demanded that the returning officers be directed to furnish details to all candidates about the number of postal ballots issued, those received so far, absentee voters and their votes, the number of election duty certificates issued and those received.

The alliance members also demanded that directions be issued to all returning officers to count postal ballots, ballots collected from homes of absentee voters and election duty certificates before the counting of EVMs is taken up and also furnish the names and details of the officials engaged in these tasks to all the contesting candidates.

They urged the EC to direct all returning officers not to take up the next round of counting till a round is completed and recorded.

A copy of the memorandum was submitted to the Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade in Guwahati.

Elections to the 126-member assembly were held in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6. Votes will be counted on May 2.