Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Rama Meena Tuesday sought a report on complaints of fake voting allegedly by Congress-led UDF workers in Kannur and Kasaragod constituencies on April 23 as a controversy raged over the issue.
He said the report was sought from the district collectors of Kannur and Kasaragod in view of the complaints of the ruling CPI(M)-headed LDF on the alleged bogus voting by activists of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the UDF.
"There will not be any compromise in the actions taken against bogus voting. We are seeing the issue with utmost seriousness. The complaints will be looked into once the reports come," Meena told reporters here.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) had released 'digital evidence' of the alleged bogus voting by two men, suspected to be IUML workers, in a polling booth in Kasaragod.
IUML general secretary K P A Majeed said the party would look into the allegations after getting a preliminary report from the local units in this regard.
On Monday, the CEO said three women, including a panchayat member, cast bogus votes in Kasargod constituency in the April 23 Lok Sabha polls and said an enquiry would be held into the role of the polling officials.
Rejecting the bogus voting charge, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan criticised the chief electoral officer and alleged that Meena was acting in accordance with the UDF's ploy.
"On what basis has the CEO confirmed that the accused had cast bogus vote? The official has no power to ask an elected panchayat member (who faced allegation in the issue) to step down from her position," he told reporters in Kannur Tuesday.
The CEO was not supposed to take decisions in accordance with the 'media trial' based on the visuals of the alleged bogus voting, he said, adding that the CPI(M) was prepared to face any probe over the issue.
Asked about the term "open voting" used by the Left to defend the presence of its party workers in the video, Meena had said he was hearing the term for the first time.
"As per our law, there is no open vote. When I asked the Collector about this, he told me the term might have been used in colloquial parlance for assisted or companion vote. Maybe there is a local reference like that. Even companion vote, the voter must be present inside the booth.They could have brought the voter in wheel chair," Meena had told reporters Monday.
Triggering widespread controversy, local television channels had aired the CCTV visuals in which the three women could be seen voting more than twice at polling booth number 17 and 19 at AUP School Pilathara in Kannur district, which is part of Kasaragod constituency.
The video had also shown some local leaders inside the polling booth while the voting took place.
Meanwhile, in an embarrassment to the state police force, local television channels Tuesday aired a purported voice message by some police personnel speaking about the rigging in their postal votes.
The audio clip, reportedly circulated in a social media group of police officers, could be heard asking the postal votes for police to be given in advance.
While Meena said the complaint on alleged malpractices in postal votes of police was yet to come to his notice, DGP Loknath Behera said "serious action" would be taken against the guilty if the charges were proved to be correct.
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