(PTI)The Leh district election officer has advised the army to “sensitise” officers and maintain the sanctity of the poll process after complaints emerged that jawans were being asked to state their voting preferences over the phone. “It is alleged that the commanding officers are telephonically asking jawans for their voting preference rather than supplying to them the ballot paper for casting his vote,” Lavasa’s letter says. “This is a gross violation of secrecy of voting and a malpractice that has the potential to invite strict legal action…. Hussain said the allegation had originally come from several jawans posted in high-altitude areas, such as Siachen. There’s a fear that if a soldier from Kargil conveys his preference through telephone, he will not know where his vote is going,” he said.

Source: The Telegraph May 11, 2019 01:07 UTC