EC directs state election chief to probe Koundla poll goof-up

The ECI reportedly wants the incident thoroughly inquired with the follow up action of fixing responsibility of the erring officials.

Voters in Koundla village,20 kms from Hoshiarpur,ended up casting their votes in the wrong seat after district election officials mistakenly clubbed the village with the adjoining village and polling station of Bassi Chaura. After delimitation,Koundla fell under the Hoshiarpur constituency while Bassi Chaura was placed under the Chhabewal seat. Earlier,both villages had a common polling station. The goof-up resulted in 156 Koundla voters casting their votes for the Chhabewal Assembly seat instead of the Hoshiarpur seat,to which they rightly belong. To make matters worse,Chhabewal is a reserved constituency while Hoshiarpur falls in the general category.

The revelation came in an enquiry conducted by the district administration here following directions from the poll panel which had received a complaint about the mistake from Industry and Local Government Minister and BJP candidate from Hoshiarpur,Tikshan Sud. Sud had claimed that the voters of Koundla village were forced to vote for the Chhabewal seat.

Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Deepinder Singh,however,admitted that the electoral staff had made a mistake by not separating the electoral rolls of Koundla village from that of Bassi Chaura.