Missing Postal ballot of Employees: Cong may knock door of HP high court
State Assembly Election left nine days for counting of votes from today but State government employees and Opposition party is still fighting on the ground after controversy of missing number of Postal ballots during dispatch and receiving back Mr IN Mehta, Congress Legal Cell convenor said that party may knock the door of high court if thses complaints are not taken into consideration. He said that many employees on election duty have not been able to vote, whereas all the employees should get the right to vote. Expressing surprise, he said that at least the employees who had applied for postal ballot in time should not be deprived of their right to vote. has urged. He said that there is delay in distribution of postal ballet and many of Postal ballots could not return in time. Member of Congress Legal Cell, Pranay Pratap, said that many postal ballots of service voters and employees on election duty have not yet been returned. This is unfortunate . The legal cell of the Congress has already complained about this to the Election Commission. Instructions should be given to the postal department to submit postal soon. Pratap said that the postal department is not giving receipt to the employees who have sent their ballot papers through post. Therefore, instructions should be given to the postal department to send postal ballots to the Election Commission. ECI has also handed over the list of 18 employees of Dharampur to the Election Commission, who were not given postal ballot. A similar complaint was made a few days back by Badsar Congress legislator ID Lakhanpal, who is also party candidate on this seat in Bilaspur. Similar complaint also lodged by Congress MLA Harash Vardhan Chauhan about missing of number of posts ballot in Shilai Assembly constituency. District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner RK Gautam said that the SDM of Shillai has been ordered to investigate. Within two days the situation will be clear whether the ballot papers were actually missing or not.Thecomplaint have been lodged on the incidents after 41 policemen who belonged to Shillai constituency did not delivered postal ballot after issued by SP Office Nahan for them to cast their ballot votes. However, after the matter came to light, the administration swung into action and the Deputy Commissioner of the district ordered an inquiry by Shillai’s SDM.Initially, it is coming to the light that there are number of employees who applied for ballotbut due to alleged negligence, the postal ballots have not been issued. In Shillai assembly constituency, votes of 41 police personnel are recorded in Shillai assembly. Victim, policemen were posted on duty at different places in the Sirmour district. However they are eligible for Services or voters in Shilla. There are 66811 Services Voter in the state including 22 NRI. Highest 2187 Services voters are in Sujanpur of Hamirpur district followed by 2131 in Jogindernagar of Mandi. Around 25000 state Employees including state police and home gaurd jawans took parts in the Election process.