Hailakandi: Ballot Goes Out, Voting Goes On, Agent Demands Halt

An incident of concern was reported from 12 No. Paikan L.P. School polling centre in Paikan village under Hailakandi district, where a polling agent raised objections after allegedly spotting ballot papers outside the polling room during lunch hours.

According to the polling agent posted at Arjun Dutta ME School, the polling team was inside the room for lunch when some light blue soft ballot papers were noticed lying outside. Locals also reportedly witnessed the misplaced ballot papers. The agent immediately approached the polling officer and urged for a temporary suspension of voting. He stated that one or two ballot papers were clearly visible outside the polling area, but the total number of misplaced papers could not be confirmed.

“We don’t know how these valid ballot papers reached outside. There is confusion and suspicion. This must be reported to senior officers and observers,” he said.

The agent insisted that the polling officer identify the serial numbers on the ballot papers and conduct a proper inquiry. Despite his repeated requests to halt voting and start the process for re-polling, polling at the centre continued without interruption.

As of the time of reporting, no official action has been taken to stop voting at the centre. The election agent maintained that the matter should be investigated thoroughly to maintain the integrity of the electoral process and appealed once again to close the voting until a proper investigation is conducted.