ELECTION PETITION 413
as a result of the inspection it was found that such invalid votes found in the ballot boxes of the Petitioner Nos. 1 and 2 and of the Respondent Nos. 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6 and cancelled as being double votes, are as shown below :— Petitioner No. 1 -- 2,921
Petitioner No. 2 -- 5,597
Respondent No. 1 -- 39,165
Respondent No. 2 -- 6,634
Respondent No. 3 -- 10,881
Respondent No. 4 -- 1,168
Respondent No. 5 -- 6,892
Respondent No. 6 -- 1,025
Total -- 74,333
The Petitioners will rely on the records in proof of this statement.
The Petitioners submit that in the aggregate 74,333 ballot papers had been rejected and not counted at all as being void by the Returning Officer for the aforesaid reason.
The Petitioners submit that at several polling stations of the aforesaid Constituency the voters to whom double voting papers were issued, did not, in thousands of cases, distribute the same as required by Section 63 (1) of the said Act, and their failure to comply with the provisions of Section 63 (1) of the said Act resulted in the said ballot papers being declared to be void and wholly worthless in respect of the election held in the said Constituency.
The Petitioners say that the aforesaid large number of double votes being void votes, has been the result of corrupt practice of undue influence on the part of the Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 within the meaning of Section 123 (2) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, at the election as set out below and that the said corrupt practice has vitiated the entire election and has rendered the same void.