HOW many votes were actually polled in Srinagar during the recently concluded assembly elections? Going by the poll percentage bandied by Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar, it was a very healthy turnout. However, when the ballot boxes were opened, the number of votes were found to be considerably less. Clearly, the figures had been inflated to get a favourable press.
In Khanyar constituency, the government claimed a turnout of 25 per cent. But the actual percentage of votes polled was only 12.78 per cent. Again in Amirakadal, the claim of 20 per cent was rather enthusiastic, considering actual votes polled were only 12.56 per cent. Of the eight assembly segments in Srinagar, only in oneHazratbalwas Kumar generous in claiming a poll response lower than the final figures.
According to sources, Ashok Kumar was so keen that there be a high voter turnout that he repeatedly pulled up the district commissioner of Srinagar for the response being lower than expected. But Kumar being manipulative is nothing new. The chief secretary had been found guilty of electoral malpractice when he was the returning officer for Rajpura constituency in Anantnag, south Kashmir, during the 1967 assembly elections.
Kumar was then the additional deputy commissioner of Anantnag and was nominated as the returning officer in Raj-pura. Three candidatesMir Rajpuri (Congress), Ghulam Qadir Mir (National Conference) and Omkar Nath Trisal (CPI)filed their nominations from the constituency. Surprisingly, Mir and Trisal found their nominations had been rejected by Kumar, which paved the way for the unopposed election of Rajpuri.
Mir went to court and the special court set up to hear numerous election petitions held Kumars order as illegal and void and the election of Rajpuri was quashed. Justice Anant Singh passed severe strictures against Kumar holding him guilty of tampering with election records. The judge recommended criminal proceedings against Kumar under Section 167 of the IPC. A departmental inquiry was instituted but its findings never saw the light of day. Incidentally, during the 1967 elections, 30 Congress nominees were elected unopposed. A good number of them were from Anantnag district.
And though there have been no malpractice allegations against Kumar this time, the chief secretary has surprised many with allegedly inflated poll figures pertaining to certain constituencies in the Valley.
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