Shillong, Apr 9: The National People’s Party (NPP) has alleged irregularities and deliberate suppression of voter turnout in the Alichen cluster of polling stations under the Koridang Assembly Constituency in Nagaland.
In a complaint submitted to the Election Commission of India, NPP national secretary Saidul Khan stated that there was a drastic and highly abnormal decline in voter turnout in Alichen, raising concerns over the integrity of the electoral process.
The party, which has fielded I Abenjang as its candidate for the bypoll, has urged the ECI to conduct a repoll in all Alichen polling stations.
The complaint submitted by the NPP highlights an alarming decrease in voter turnout, which dropped to approximately 39.9 per cent in Alichen. Out of 3,310 registered voters, only 1,323 participated in the election, starkly contrasting with neighbouring districts where participation exceeded 70 per cent. “This means nearly 60 per cent of voters were unable to exercise their franchise,” the party stated.
The NPP claimed that specific polling stations experienced turnout rates as low as 15 per cent and 23 per cent suggesting that voters were prevented, intimidated, or discouraged from casting their votes.
The party asserts that the presence of IRB personnel contributed to a climate of fear, which hampered voter participation. Furthermore, polling was disrupted for nearly an hour due to excessive identity verification checks by election observers, which the NPP argues disenfranchised rural voters, women, and the elderly.
The NPP has urged the ECI to conduct a repoll across all Alichen polling stations. They provided video evidence supporting claims of administrative interference and have called for a thorough inquiry into the actions of security forces and election observers.
The party maintained that the suppression of votes could materially affect electoral results, ultimately failing to reflect the electorate’s true will.
