Kozhikode collector submits preliminary report on polling material room opening
A district report found lapses in opening a Perambra constituency material room. LDF and UDF representatives were present during data updates, with the room resealed.
A district report found lapses in opening a Perambra constituency material room. LDF and UDF representatives were present during data updates, with the room resealed.
A district report found lapses in opening a Perambra constituency material room. LDF and UDF representatives were present during data updates, with the room resealed.
Kozhikode: District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has submitted a preliminary report to Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Khelkar regarding the controversial opening of the material room containing polling-related documents of the Perambra Assembly constituency at JDT School, Vellimadukunnu, on Tuesday.
The report is said to have pointed to lapses on the part of the Returning Officer in opening the material room adjacent to the strong room. The Chief Electoral Officer had sought the report after the UDF alleged a conspiracy behind the incident on Monday.
A group of UDF workers, led by DCC president K. Praveen Kumar and Muslim League leader M. A. Razaq, staged a protest in front of the institute, alleging that the room was opened without following due procedures.
UDF candidate from Perambra, Fathima Thahiliya, questioned the need to open any room within the strong room premises before the counting process. “I was informed about the opening only an hour in advance,” she said. MP M. K. Raghavan also demanded a detailed probe into the incident.
Later, the District Collector clarified that only the material room was opened and that due procedures were followed, with candidates informed in advance. According to an official statement, the room was opened to cross-check and update data in the ENCORE software with entries in the diaries of presiding officers from the Perambra constituency. Representatives of the LDF and the UDF were present during the process, and the room was sealed again at 1:50 pm after verification.
The Perambra Returning Officer also maintained that the room was opened solely to verify details in Form 17C related to voter data for uploading purposes.
Meanwhile, sources within the Kozhikode UDF leadership indicated dissatisfaction with the handling of the issue by Fathima Thahiliya. Despite being informed in advance by election officials, she allegedly failed to convey the information to party leaders, leading to an embarrassing situation during the protest.