A video of the incident had gone viral in which some people were seen opening postal ballot boxes and rearranging the postal ballot papers stored inside them.
(Representational image: iStock)
Acting on a complaint lodged by the Congress party on suspicion of tampering with the postal ballots inside a strong room in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, the Election Commission of India (EC) ordered the suspension of the Nodal Officer there.
A video of the incident had gone viral in which some people were seen opening postal ballot boxes and rearranging the postal ballot papers stored inside them.
Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Kamal Nath had also shared a video of the incident on his ‘X’ handle. The congress party Monday lodged a formal complaint in the matter with the EC.
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Acting on the complaint, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of MP Anupam Rajan suspended the Nodal Officer Himmat Singh Bhavedi. The suspended official is a Tehsildar-rank land revenue official.
The CEO has also directed the District Election Officer, Balaghat Collector Girish Mishra, to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, district administration officials at Balaghat stated that the postal ballots were only being sorted out and arranged assembly constituency-wise. The officials maintained that no tampering whatsoever was done with the postal ballots.
The results of the crucial state assembly polls in MP would be declared on 3 December.
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