Bhubaneswar: The State Election Commission (SEC) Sunday warned fake voters of stringent action if found attempting to vote by impersonation during the three-tier panchayat elections in the state scheduled to start February 16.
Secretary to the SEC, Rabindra Nath Sahu stated that a person can cast vote during the panchayat elections only when the concerned person’s name is mentioned in the voters’ list.
However, a polling agent can challenge the voting right of a voter in case he/she finds the concerned person’s identity suspicious.
“By depositing a fee of Rs 2 before a presiding officer, the polling agent can request the official for an inquiry. The presiding officer will conduct an on-spot inspection to ascertain the veracity of the allegation. If the voter in question is found out to be a genuine one, the fee amount will be forfeited and he/she will be allowed to cast vote,” Sahu said.
However, regarding the action to be taken against fake voters, Sahu said that, “If the allegation is proved to be a genuine one, the fee amount will be returned to the agent and the fake voter will be handed over to the police. In case the fake voter has already cast his vote before being identified, his/her vote won’t be counted.”
It can be mentioned that elections to the three-tier Panchayati Raj bodies in Odisha will be held on every alternate day in five phases, starting February 16 and ending February 24.
The polling will commence at 7am and continue till 1pm on the mentioned days. The counting will start February 26.
PNN