Poll panel team in Chhapra for probe

MANDATE 2004

A two-member team of the Election Commission today began an inquiry into the complaints of booth capturing and violence allegedly by ruling RJD activists during the April 26 polling for the Chhapra Lok Sabha seat, where party supremo Laloo Yadav crossed swords with Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

The team, comprising K J Rao and Ananth Kumar, arrived here from Patna, stopping at several places under the Sonepur Assembly segment of the constituency and inquiring about the situation during elections.

They walked down to villagers, leaving behind state officials and securitymen accompanying them.

While locals at Gangajal impressed upon the members of the poll panel that election was peaceful, hardly 5 kms away at Bharpura, voters alleged that the district administration was unfair and attempted to rig the elections in favour of the RJD chief.

The commission officials alighted from their vehicle at Sitaganj and Dumri also where a group of RJD supporters sitting on dharna alleged that BJP activists prevented them from voting and captured booths.

The RJD chief met the EC team on its arrival at the Patna airport and sought to depose before it in Chhapra later in the day to explain his position.

The EC had on April 29 ordered a detailed inquiry into the complaints of booth capturing in the constituency, following appeals by the NDA to countermand the polls in view of largescale violence and rigging allegedly by RJD activists.

Rao and Kumar would also look into other complaints, besides holding discussions with the observers for the seat and the district returning officer.

Before leaving for Chhapra, Rao and Kumar told reporters, "We will go indepth into the complaints holding talks with the concerned parties and also examine the allegations against the EC's observers in Chhapra before submitting the report to the commission in New Delhi."