Mistry terms baseless Tharoor’s election complaint of voter fraud in UP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 19

Charges and counter charges flew thick and fast even on Wednesday as counting of votes for the election of Congress President was underway with Shashi Tharoor's poll agents complaining to the AICC election authority of “voter fraud” in Uttar Pradesh and the Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry dismissing the accusation as “baseless and bereft of any specific charge.”

Moments before the complaint by team Tharoor got leaked to the press, Rahu Gandhi, during a press conference in Andhra Pradesh, validated the suspicion that Mallikarjun Kharge was indeed an establishment candidate even though the Gandhis had all along pledged to stay neutral.

“Ask Khargeji and Sonia ji,” said Rahul when asked what his future role would be. At the time of Rahul's comments, counting in the Congress chief's poll was still underway at AICC headquarters in Delhi.

That said, the Tharoor camp made a strategic retreat from the complaint after veteran Mallikarjun Kharge swept the election garnering 7897 of 9385 votes polled while Tharoor got just 1072.

In a complaint earlier, Tharoor's team had alleged “extremely serious irregularities” in the conduct of elections in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that all UP votes be declared invalid. The complaint even threatened “further action” if the demand was not met.

It alleged unauthorized persons inside polling booths in Lucknow to influence voters; improper seals on ballot boxes, absence of polling sheets after polling, and most of all voter fraud.

“We suspect voter fraud in UP. There were delegates who were not present in Lucknow on the day of the voting but their votes were cast. There were complaints from people about not being allowed to cast their vote since others had already cast the vote on their behalf. Also at the end of the polling in UP there was no polling sheet which should have been signed by polling agents of both sides,” said the complaint.

Tharoor later lamented its leakage to the press and appeared to abandon a previously harsh stance he took in the complaint which said, “We demand that all votes from UP be deemed invalid. We reserve the right to do what we believe is in the best interests of the party.”

Tharoor's agent Salman Soz however later today met Mistry who, he said, assured them of a proper probe.

“We are looking forward to the results,” Soz added, while Tharoor heaped praises on Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka hoping “Sonia would continue to guide the party.”

Madhusudan Mistry, when asked about Tharoor's last minute accusations of the absence of a level playing field -- something he had been complaining of all along -- said, “Tharoor's agents have been briefed by the UP poll returning officer and are satisfied.

“We have readied a point by point reply to the complaint. A report has been given by the UP PRO and secretary. Since this is an internal election of the party, we do not want to make the reply public. The leakage of the complaint to the media is not the right thing. It should have been sent to us. Let me add that there is no basis for the complaint. The accusations are not specific. It is more of a general complaint. Out of six ballot boxes in UP, four had no problem with the seals. The seals of all the boxes were checked by Mr Tharoor's agents today before the counting commenced. On two boxes, there were some issues of embossing. Even if we give to Mr Tharoor 400 votes in those two boxes, he would still have got only 1072 votes plus those 400. So what are we talking about?” a visibly upset Mistry said.

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