Bihar EC admits to dubious ballot boxes

The boxes, belonging to seven out of 55 Bihar districts, would not be allowed to be used during current elections, it said.

Additionally, the commission will, in due time, make certain special arrangements before the polls that will ensure that the purity of the election process on this account is in no way violated,8217; it said, adding that the measures adopted by the commission would not be made public.

Bihar chief electoral officer A K Basu is being called to the commission for necessary consultation, it said.

Of the 54 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar, 19 each would go to polls on September 18 and 25 and ballotting for remaining 16 would be held on October three.

Setting at rest any misgivings about usage of ballot boxes with duplicate numbers, the commission said it had been keeping a constant watch on all aspects of the electoral process for conduct of free and fair polls in the whole country including Bihar.

The commission had directed thorough checking and stocktaking of all ballot boxes in Bihar, to ensure that only those properly numbered and in working condition were put to use at the elections.

Instructions have gone to the district election officers concerned to take steps to lodge FIRs in the matter and ask the superintendents of police to personally supervise these cases. In certain constituencies, the inquiring officers have already fixed responsibility on certain officers, it said.

Stating that the commission had taken some special steps for Bihar during the last general elections, it said in an unprecedented initiative, the commission on its own had directed the printing of ballot papers for Bihar outside the state.

This was directly supervised by the commission in Delhi and entire ballot paper stock was moved by special air force plane, it said, adding this was done to eliminate any possible misuse of the electoral process by use of fake ballot papers.