Monday, May 10, 2004
Monday, May 10, 2004 |
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Karnataka
By Our Staff Correspondent
HASSAN, MAY 9. The controversy surrounding the recovery of a large number of photo identity cards (PICs) in a garbage bin in Hassan city seems to be petering out with the initial report submitted by Assistant Returning Officers of eight Assembly constituencies indicating that the cards are defective ones. As promised by the Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer, M. Maheshwara Rao, the tahsildars of the eight Assembly segments in Hassan parliamentary constituency have taken up the task of scrutinising the cards seriously and tried to contact each person whose cards were found in the bin. According to sources in the district administration, the probe would be complete before the counting of votes begins on May 13. However, sources in the district administration disclosed that it was the fault of the agency that was given responsibility of distributing PICs to eligible voters in the district. The agency, after withdrawing the faulty cards from voters and issuing fresh cards with corrections, failed to dispose of the faulty cards properly. A large number of the 832 PICs found in the garbage bin pertained to voters in the Hassan parliamentary constituency, according to the district administration. Political parties used the issue to find fault with the election officials. The parties had been upset with the delay in setting up electronic voting machines (EVMs), technical snags, proof of voter identity being made mandatory and names missing from the voters list. On learning that PICs had been found in a garbage bin in Hassan, the candidates and leaders of various political parties demanded an inquiry into how the cards turned up in the bin. The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha Constituency, H.D. Deve Gowda, citing the incident, accused the State Government of misusing official machinery and held the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, responsible for it. The Janata Dal (U) candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, H.N. Nanje Gowda, even urged the Chief Electoral Officer to countermand the elections. He also wanted a CBI investigation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which held a protest rally in Hassan, urged the authorities to take up the counting of votes only after ascertaining the truth about the incident. However, most the Assistant Returning Officers, who have completed their inquiry into the matter, are said to have reported to the Returning Officer that most of the people whose PICs were found in the garbage bin had voted in the elections. The cards, which were found in the bin, were defective ones and the agency concerned had failed to dispose of it according to the norms.
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