Booth-capturing is passe for some election candidates in West Khasi district. They have hit on a new trick to ensure a sure-shot win — by duping voters to return their photo-identity cards.Several complaints have poured into the West Khasi hills Deputy Commissioner’s office, alleging that some candidates are paying their men to collect Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) from people who they suspect would be voting for the rival camp. NSCN intimidating us: Village chiefs KOHIMA: Four village council chiefs of Nagaland’s Peren Assembly constituency have complained to the Election Commission that they are being intimidated by the NSCN(I-M). Amid reports of NSCN(I-M) cadre intimidating voters in Mokokchung and Zunheboto districts, chairmen of the four village councils in a joint complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner sought the EC’s intervention to ensure free and fair polls in the state. They alleged the NSCN (I-M) has launched an open campaign for the NPF candidate at Peren. The village council members of Heningkunlwa, Punglwa, Ngwalwa and Gaili were summoned by the NSCN leaders last week and asked to support the NPF candidate, they said. (PTI) These men pose as officials from the Deputy Commissioner’s office and tell voters that they need to collect their EPICs to make some corrections. They vanish soon after collecting the cards. Deputy Commissioner P. Shakeel told The Indian Express on Sunday that he has received complaints that ‘‘some candidates and their supporters were actually going around and deceiving voters into returning their EPICs’’. A similar incident was reported from Shillong a few days ago. Some people collected the ID cards from the Deputy Commissioner’s office with a promise to deliver them to voters at Keating Road. The cards never reached the voters. The police have arrested two people in this connection.In War-Jaintia constituency, some desperate candidates are allegedly buying the EPICs from voters. Sources say the cards will be returned to voters on polling day.
