THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF has complained to the Election Commission about some of the LDF constituents not appointing authorised polling agents for the Rajya Sabha poll held here on Friday. Congress MLA Sunny Joseph, the Election agent of UDF candidate Babu Prasad, filed a complaint with the Returning Officer that the CPI, NCP and the JD(S) had not appointed authorised election agents for the poll. As per rules, the members (MLAs) who are voters belonging to the CPI, NCP and JD(S) had not shown their ballot paper to the authorised agents of those political parties.
He pointed out as per the provisions of law in this regard, the returning officer had to treat their ballots as cancelled for violation of procedures. “Such ballot papers are to be ruled as cancelled due to violation of election procedure and it has to be kept in separate covers. Such ballot papers will not be counted as well (Rules 39AA (2) of Conduct of Election Rules,1961),” he said in the complaint.
He said as per rule 39 AA (2), every political party whose member as an elector casts a vote at the polling station, should appoint two authorised agents in Form 22 A. However, the Returning Officer rejected their complaint. Following this, the UDF filed a complaint with the Central Election Commission about the procedural lapses. However, the complaint will have little effect on the poll outcome as the LDF has 66 members even after keeping away the number of CPI (19), JD-S (3) and NCP (2) MLAs.