Ballot Papers Found in Drain in Nalgonda. SEC Orders Probe
Collector directs action against officials for negligence; BRS leaders alleged rigging
Nalgonda: A bundle of about 25 ballot papers, marked for the ‘scissors’ symbol allocated to BRS-supported candidate Avula Surender, were found in a drain in Chinna Kaparthy of Chityal mandal in Nalgonda district on Friday night, leading to allegations of rigging of the first phase of gram panchayat election. Surender lost the election by about 400 votes.
Twenty-five ballot papers polled for a candidate are packed into a bundle during counting. The votes were found after the counting had ended and the results declared.
District collector Ila Tripathi has ordered an investigation by the Nalgonda revenue division officer Ashok, who rushed to the village and began in inquiry.
Collector Tripathi was informed that the bundle went missing due to the negligence of stage-II returning officer. The official has been suspended. She suspected that some person might have taken that bundle and thrown it in the drain. This happened after counting of the votes and hence there would not impact the result. “There is no truth in the allegation of rigging,” the collector said.
The ballot papers were not missed before counting and the votes polled had been counted for the candidate. Police were examining CCTV camera footage to identify who picked up the bundle.
BRS former minister and Suryapet MLA Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy said the incident was a shame on democracy. He suspected ruling party leaders of rigging the polls and demanded a re-poll at Chinna Kaparthi.
Nakrekal MLA Vemula Veeresham said the counting of votes had been completed in the presence of polling agents and the Congress-backed candidate had won by more than 400 votes. BRS-supported Surender had signed on the papers declaring the result. He strongly condemned the allegation of rigging.
