Agartala, Mar 29 (UNI) The opposition CPI (M) in Tripura on Friday moved Election Commission of India (ECI) against the Returning Officer of West Tripura Parliamentary Constituency, Dr Vishal Kumar, accusing him of violating election rules while accepting the nomination paper of BJP candidate in West Tripura parliamentary constituency.
CPI (M) State Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that Dr Kumar had allowed at least 40 people with a BJP candidate inside his chamber while submitting his nomination on Wednesday, where the law permits the presence of a maximum five people.
Recalling the by-election to Boxanagar and Dhanpur last year under Sepahijala district, he said Dr Kumar was District Election Officer and favoured BJP.
He also alleged that Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB) has been disbursing loans to SHGs violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to allure the voters in favour of the ruling BJP while sitting MP of Lok Sabha Rebati Tripura took part in a program of PMKVY in Dhalai district.
He alleged that the Chairman of Financial Inclusion Coordinator, in a WhatsApp message, directed the Chairman TGB to disburse all pending bank loans in all categories in the SHG scheme by this month, and having received such instructions, TGB Chairman Satyendra Singh forwarded the message to all branch managers of the TGB with an instruction to implement it.
“In the election process, the release of any kind of loan is a violation of the MCC, and it is an endeavour to garner electoral benefits in favour of the ruling BJP using government schemes,” he alleged, and he urged ECI to intervene to immediately stop the release of any kind of loan till the election process is over.
At a time when the ruling BJP leaders were allowed to address election rallies from a dais close to his chamber within the prohibited area, the CPI (M) followers were prevented at a point far distant from the prohibited line, Chaudhury alleged further.
If the RO demonstrated partisanship towards the ruling BJP just during the nomination process, one must question whether he would be able to provide a level playing field for all contestants in the upcoming election processes, he questioned seeking action from ECI.
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