The Congress and the BJP have locked horns over alleged violations of the silent period and electoral laws during polling hours at various polling stations in the 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency on Friday.
The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has accused the BJP of using muscle power and influencing government machineries to capture several polling booths during the first phase of the MP election in inner Manipur.
Addressing the media at the Congress Bhawan in Imphal, MPCC working president Kh Devabrata claimed that the BJP had employed armed miscreants to capture around 36 polling booths.
Further alleging that many agents of the Congress candidates were threatened and forced to leave the polling stations, Devabrata also criticised the security personnel deployed to secure the polling stations, accusing them of being mere spectators to the violations.
In response to the allegations, the working president of MPCC called on the public of Manipur to stay united and face together the elements that threaten the free and fair election in Manipur for the sake of Manipur's future.
On the other hand, the BJP, Manipur, has countered the accusations by alleging that the INC candidate for inner Manipur, Bimol Akoijam, had entered the 100-meter sensitive zone of polling stations with a large number of his supporters.
"The INC candidate's actions are a total violation of the electoral laws and the model code of conduct," stated K Sarat, the general secretary of BJP Manipur, while addressing the media at Thambal Shanglen in Imphal.
Sarat further claimed that the INC candidate is violating all electoral laws and is unjustly blaming the BJP, terming the situation as unfortunate.
In light of these allegations, a complaint has been lodged with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Manipur and other concerned authorities, seeking necessary actions against the alleged violations by the INC candidate.
The ongoing feud between the two major political parties has raised concerns over the integrity and fairness of the electoral process in the 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.
