Lok Satta (LS) Party today requested the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to order independent investigation into the inducements offered to voters in the recently concluded bye-elections to the seven assembly constituencies in the state. In his representation addressed to Bhanwarlal, Party’s state General Secretary V Lakhman Balaji commended the Election Commission of India (ECI) in general, and the Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)’s office in particular for its proactive role in intercepting, seizing and confiscating cash of Rs nine crore, 90,566 litres of liquor and other material inducements being transported for and distributed among voters during the recently concluded bye-elections. Such seizures of unaccounted for cash, liquor and other such material inducements intended to bribe voters were not new phenomena, he pointed out and said crores of rupees in cash had been seized, thousands of bottles of liquor confiscated, material inducements intended to bribe voters been intercepted by the ECI during previous elections too and cases had been booked by the ECI in such cases.
“Evidently, these are all instances of highly corrupt electoral practices and therefore blatant violations of the Representation under the People Act, that are intended to unduly influence the electoral choices of voters and materially alter the outcome of elections,” he said. UNI