Voter impersonation: Four polling officials arrested in Kozhikode

Kozhikode: Mavoor police here on Sunday arrested four polling officials over voter impersonation during vote-from-home in Peruvayal Panchayat here. The accused- Special Polling Officer K T Manjusha, Polling Officer C V Fahmida, Micro Observer P K Anees and Booth Level Officer Hareesh Kumar were later released on bail.

On Saturday, the district collector suspended the officials who were in charge of the vote-from-home initiative in the booth,  after finding lapses in examining the identity proof of the voter. The district collector, who is the district election officer, also directed the police commissioner to register a case and launch a probe.

It is learnt that the confusion in the name of the voter led to the alleged impersonation. Instead of 92-year-old Payampurath Janakiyamma in the 84th Booth at Kodasserythazham at Kayalam, the officials visited the house of Kodasseri Janakiyamma (80) who was not named in the voters' list and made her cast the vote for the Lok Sabha elections. The impersonation was reported during the polling through vote-from-home facility which is arranged for senior citizens above 85 and persons with disabilities.

The LDF alleged that the polling officials who are in charge of the vote-from-home initiative recorded the vote of the senior citizen who is not named in the voters' list. They complained that, even though their Booth Level Agent tried to correct the officials, they ignored him. Following this, the Booth Level Agent lodged a complaint with the district authority.