PATNA, Nov 8 : Thousands of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips were found dumped in a garbage heap in Sheetalpatty village under the Sarairanjan Assembly constituency of Samastipur district on Saturday, raising serious questions about the conduct of elections.
Polling for this constituency was held on November 6 during the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. As the news spread, hundreds of local residents gathered at the spot, leading to chaos. Locals alleged that the incident occurred due to the negligence of election officials.
District Election Officer and DM Roshan Kushwaha rushed to the site to assess the situation and ordered an inquiry.
Dismissing speculation of any malpractice, he clarified that the slips were from a mock poll, not actual voting, and that negligence by the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) in their disposal led to the incident.
“This has not affected the integrity of the actual voting process,” he said, adding that a detailed probe will determine how the slips ended up in the garbage.
He said the Election Commission has taken serious note of the matter and assured that necessary action will be taken against the officials responsible for the lapse. (UNI)
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