"Central Armed Forces Will Be Deployed In Border Stations": EC Assures Kerala HC In Plea For Preventing Double Voting In Border Constituencies

In a special sitting on Easter's eve, the Kerala High Court considered the petitions filed by Congress candidates EM Augusthy, D Kumar, Cyriac Thomas and Shanymol Usman alleging the existence of double entries in the constituencies of Udumbanchola, Devikulam, Peerumedu, and Aroor. Voters coming into constituencies in Idukki from Tamil Nadu to cast vote - Petition by EM Augusthy, D Kumar, Cyriac Thomas Augusthy, Kumar, and Thomas, candidates in the Udumbanchola, Devikulam and Peerumedu Assembly constituencies on Idukki District, moved the High Court seeking the Court's intervention against the casting of votes by persons having their name registered in the constituencies of Udumbanchola, Devikulam and Peerumde in the State of Kerala as well as in various places in Tamil Nadu. Responding to these concerns, the Standing Counsel for the Election Commission Deepu Lal Mohan placed on record a communication between the Iddukki District Collector and the Chief Election Commissioner, Thiruvnanthapuram explaining steps taken to prevent bogus votes likely to be cast by persons coming from the neighbouring States. In the upcoming Assembly Elections, voters whose names appear more than once in electoral rolls are allowed to leave the polling booth only after the indelible ink has dried, the Election Commission informed the court. To this, the Counsel for the petitioner raised apprehension that double voting could take place in any of the booths not covered in the 46% intended to be videographed by the Election Commission.