Ranchi, Apr 28: Taking serious note of a news item that an election official in Jharkhand's Lohardagga Lok Sabha seat counted the votes after polling hours on April 26 and also announced the result for the booth he was in charge of, the state's CEC has asked the returning officer to send a detailed report on the matter. Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer A K Pandey today asked the returning officer of Lohardaga Lok Sabha constituency Siyaram Prasad Sinha to send a detailed report on the presiding officer Bhutka Oraon of booth 51 at Barhi primary school at Sneha block who announced the result after counting the votes. The CEO gave the direction after reading an account of the incident in a local daily here. A clipping of the newspaper report has been enclosed with the CEO's letter dispatched to Sinha, who is the Deputy Commissioner of Gumla, asking him to send a detailed report on the circumstances during the second phase of polling at the booth.
The seat is being contested by former Additional Director General of Police Rameswar Oraon of the Congress and sitting BJP MP Dukha Bhagar.
Bureau Report