Absence of numbers on ballot boxes suspicious: Congress

The Congress party has questioned the absence of numbers on the ballot boxes and a serial number of the seal while closing of each box after polling and felt this leads to doubts over the government’s intention.

“What is the guarantee that the same ballot box is being opened at the counting centre,” former minister and TPCC senior leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy asked. The Form Number 21 given to all the polling agents doesn’t contain any information of the ballot box number of the number on the seal, he said and asked State Election Commissioner Partha Sarathi to explain this lacunae.

“The numbers given in Form 21 are verified during the counting to ensure that the same box used for polling is brought for counting as well. Without these numbers anyone can manipulate it. This is a big mistake and despite bringing the issue to his notice the SEC has not responded positively furthering our suspicion,” he said.

Mr. Reddy said they had suspicion over the intentions of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) ever since it insisted on the ballot paper voting for the GHMC elections and the absence of numbers on ballot boxes and the seal only prove that the ruling party is up to some manipulation, he alleged.