Chief Electoral Officer: All complaints will be looked into
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the ruckus over the bogus voting incidents and the action being initiated against it, Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena said each and every complaint will be addressed by the poll panel.
The District Collectors, who are the District Electoral Officers, were directed to deal with such complaints in ‘all seriousness’ and ‘conduct a thorough inquiry into it’, Meena told Express.
“The DEOs have been instructed to look into complaints of bogus voting. Whether it is the political parties or the media, they must act on it. While considering a complaint of bogus voting, the DEOs are supposed to conduct a thorough inquiry. Upon completion of the same, they will have to submit a report to the CEO. If the complaint has any merit in it, it will be duly forwarded to the Election Commission,” he said.
Reiterating his stance that bogus voting is a criminal offence and the persons who resort to electoral malpractice will indeed face the music, the CEO said he will not be cowed down by political parties for ‘discharging his duty’.