Legislative assembly election: Election commission feeble to parties’ pre-poll ‘homework’

Officials decry altering of polling lists, demand better equipments to tackle the situation.

MUZAFFARABAD:

The election commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir may face a hard time in holding free and transparent polling at the upcoming legislative assembly elections. The commission seems to be falling behind in making arrangements to prevent thousands of dual votes being enrolled mostly by the candidates of the ruling Muslim Conference and other influential people.

The commission has been receiving several complaints every day against the alleged enrolment of thousands of dual votes in the lists and its officials seem to be able to do nothing.

Ministers and other influential people, with help from some officials in the revenue department, get voters enrolled in multiple constituencies, so that the same person can vote in two areas.

“We have been receiving complaints from the contestants and we have advised them to submit the complaint to the commission in writing along with evidence of their claims so that action can be taken,” said Election Commission Secretary Younas Qureshi.

He disclosed that the election commission does not have the mechanism to counter “the twin-vote casting issue”.

“We fear damaging the Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) after it is punched when a person gives his vote. The punch machines are also not available,” he said.

According to Qureshi, the ink which used for preventing a voter from polling again can be removed easily which makes this measure ineffective as well.

Meanwhile, the two returning officers for the constituency of Jammu-1 and Valley-1, reserved for refugees of Indian Kashmir living in Karachi and Balochistan, have regretted the inability to perform their duty prudently on health grounds. But, another official said, that they have refused to perform their tasks because of “pressure from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)”. MQM had gotten its two legislative assembly members elected from these two constituencies and it is likely that election here might be postponed in the wake of the non-provision of election staff, the official added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2011.