As India commenced its first phase of voting for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Friday, two polling officials faced suspension over allegations of allowing election-related malpractices in the polling booths under the West Tripura district.
Dr. Vishal Kumar, the Returning Officer for West Tripura, disclosed that the suspended polling officers were stationed in a polling station falling within the Ramanagar assembly constituency’s jurisdiction. He further highlighted that the first phase of the Lok Sabha election took place in the West parliamentary constituency, alongside the by-poll in the 7-Ramnagar Assembly Constituency.
Kumar provided voting statistics, noting that the Belonia sub-division of South district recorded the highest turnout at 85.64%, while the 7-Ramnagar Assembly Constituency witnessed the lowest turnout at 68.64%, where by-elections coincided with the general elections.
Addressing complaints lodged by various political parties, the senior official stated, “We have received some complaints from political parties, but in most cases, we couldn’t verify the allegations after response teams reached the spot. While some reports of intimidation, threats, and poll malpractices surfaced, many complaints were found to be unsubstantiated. In Mohanpur constituency, some arrests were made, and preventive arrests were executed in the Ramanagar assembly constituency.”
Additionally, the RO mentioned the suspension of two polling officials due to non-functioning CCTV cameras at their polling station. “During our inspection, we found that the CCTVs were out of operation, and outsiders were allowed to enter the polling station with voters. As a result, two polling officials have been suspended, and the entire process is under thorough review,” he added.
Tripura recorded the highest voter turnout at around 80.46%, followed by West Bengal at 77.57%. Tamil Nadu, with all 39 Lok Sabha seats contested, witnessed a voting percentage of 67%, while Uttarakhand, where polling was held for all five parliamentary seats, recorded a turnout of 54.50%. The polling concluded by 6 pm in 102 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Despite the heat wave, the Election Commission noted a high voter turnout during the first phase of the General Elections 2024. In response to Tripura’s high turnout, the INDIA bloc in Tripura urged the Election Commission to annul the polls of the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency and Ramnagar assembly constituency, citing extensive instances of poll manipulation, including booth jamming, intimidation, and proxy voting.
Following the polls, the opposition alliance, consisting of eight political parties with CPIM and Congress as leading forces, convened a joint press briefing, urging the Election Commission to annul the polls and conduct fresh elections under enhanced security measures.
The Lok Sabha polls in India are scheduled in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha, with results announced on June 4.
