HT Bureau

GUWAHATI, April 11: Journalist-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha member Ajit Kumar Bhuyan-led Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM) on Sunday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to videograph the counting of the assembly elections in the state to be conducted on May 2.

The AGM is a constituent of Congress-led Grand Alliance in the state.

“The counting process has come under scanner during the last few years due to an attempt by the ruling party to manipulate the result through mischief during the counting process. This has cast doubts on the impartiality in the counting process,” Bhuyan said in a letter to ECI.

Bhuyan appealed to the ECI to make the counting process fair and transparent by taking all necessary and possible steps.

Bhuyan said that the poll panel has to depend on the state bureaucracy in the entire process of the assembly elections, and claimed that there is an ‘apprehension’ that some sections of the employees may favour the ruling BJP and ‘can do mischief in the counting’.

“To make the counting process fair and transparent we urge the Hon’ble Forum (EC) to take all such possible steps as provided in the Conduct of Election Rule, 1961 as well as the notifications issued by the Commission from time to time,” Bhuyan said in the letter.

“One such step towards transparency would be to do videography of the entire counting process,” he said.

Bhuyan further said the videography of the counting will ensure transparency in the counting process and there will be no scope for any party or individual to raise any grievance regarding manipulation in the counting process.

The AGM claimed that a lot of controversy had erupted during the Bihar assembly elections and “this has cast doubts on the impartiality in the counting process”.

The AGM said provision for videography is available in case of re-verification or re-counting if victory is decided only on account of postal ballot counting.

The party urged the EC “to remove any apprehension in any quarter” and conduct videography of the entire counting process “without compromising the secrecy of voting”.

The AGM said it has full faith in the impartiality of the EC “but at the same time we want to warn the possible stealing of verdict of the people by manipulation that may be caused by unscrupulous persons which will ultimately mar the reputation of the Election Commission of India,” it said. (With PTI input)