Guwahati, Oct 16: Six days after the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll results declared BJP candidate Devasish Sharma the winner, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Aminul Islam on Friday alleged that the election was manipulated to ensure the BJP’s victory.
Speaking to the press, at a thanksgiving rally alongside Ajmal in Samaguri, Islam alleged that BJP workers, in coordination with independent agents, resorted to fraudulent voting to influence the outcome of the October 6 bypoll.
He claimed that 16 to 20 agents were deployed at a single polling station and votes were cast in the names of people working outside Assam.
Islam further alleged that between one lakh and two lakh votes belonging to Muslims employed outside the state were fraudulently cast in favour of the BJP candidate.
“People had elected Maulana Badruddin Ajmal as their MP, but the BJP forcibly ensured Devasish Sharma's victory,” Islam alleged claiming that AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal was the actual choice of voters.
The rally was organised to thank voters for their support. However, the allegations of electoral manipulation have not been independently verified, and Islam did not provide evidence to substantiate his claims.
Sharma won the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll by 1,42,224 votes, securing 7,14,349 votes against Ajmal’s 5,72,125. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finished third with 1,29,492 votes.
The by-election was necessitated by former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi’s resignation from the party and subsequent move to the BJP.
Polling on October 6 was largely peaceful, although reports of alleged physical attacks, Model Code of Conduct violations and electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctions emerged during the day.
At polling booth No. 184 at 2 No. Bhatiyakhali Balika Maktab in Samaguri, Ajmal visited the polling station following a complaint of an EVM malfunction. He alleged that while the buttons corresponding to other candidates were functioning, the one assigned to him was not.
“There is something manipulated. The machine should be changed and till then, I will sit here at the polling centre,” Ajmal had said.
Technical issues with EVMs were also reported at polling stations in Raha and Laharighat. The issues were subsequently resolved, allowing voting to resume.
The latest allegations add to the political confrontation between the AIUDF and the BJP following the bypoll outcome, with Islam questioning the circumstances surrounding Sharma’s victory despite the BJP candidate’s decisive margin.
With inputs from IANS