Already in the news for bribery allegations against some BJP leaders, the mountainous region of Ladakh with one Lok Sabha seat is now grappling with another poll-related controversy. This time, the Army has responded by ordering a probe by a Major General into the allegations of some commanding officers “rigging” the postal ballots.
An Army spokesman said the complaint was being investigated by the Leh Sub-Area GOC, who is a Major General rank officer.
The controversy has come close on the heels of allegations that certain BJP leaders tried to “bribe” media persons at Leh. The police have filed an FIR into the matter.
The fresh controversy has been triggered following independent candidates Sajjad Kargali and Asgar Ali Karbalai lodging a complaint with the district election officer about “malpractices” by various commanding officers in the electronic postal ballot system.
He has alleged that instead of letting the soldiers vote for the party of their choice, the commanding officers were telephonically asking the jawans for their voting preferences rather than supplying to them the ballot paper to cast their vote.
In a letter shot off to the Leh-based General Officer Commanding of the 14 Corps, District Election Officer Avny Lavasa has warned: “This is a gross violation of the secrecy of voting and malpractice that has the potential to invite strict legal action. In this context, it is requested that all the concerned officers may be sensitized about the issue and the sanctity of election process maintained.”
Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia issued a statement late last evening in Srinagar, in which he said: “Some political candidates appear to have complained regarding the postal ballot process to be cast by service personnel. No specific instances have been mentioned in the complaints. Preliminary investigations indicate that the complaints are unfounded and appear to have been made to tarnish the image of the Army. An in-depth investigation is on to ascertain the details in the most impartial manner. The army remains apolitical and we hold this core value in letter and spirit.”
The Ladakh constituency has around 4000 votes of armed forces, and BJP candidate Thuptsan Chhewang had won the seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with a thin margin of 36 postal votes.