Wilful Distortions. Were poll figures inflated to attract favourable press reports? How many votes were actually polled in Srinagar during the recently concluded assembly elections? Going by the poll percentage bandied by the Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar, "it was very healthy turnout." However, when the ballot boxes were opened, the number of votes was considerably less. Clearly, the figures had been inflated to get a favourable press. In Khanyar Constituency, the government claimed a turnout of 25 percent, but the actual percentage of votes polled was only 12.78 per cent. Again in Amirakadl, the claim of 20 per cent was rather enthusiastic, considering actual votes polled were only in one area, Hazratbal. According to sources, Ashok Kumar was too keen that there be a high voter turnout that he repeatedly pulled up the district commissioner of Srinagar for the response being lower than expected. But the fact that Kumar was being manipulative is not new. The chief secretary had been found guilty of electoral malpractice when he was the returning officer for Rajpura Constituency in Anantnag, south Kashmir, during the 1967 assembly elections. Kumar was then the additional deputy commissioner of Anantnag and was nominated as the returning officer in Rajpura. Three candidates­­Mir Rajpuri (congress), Ghulam Qadir Mir (National conference) and Omkar Nath Trisal (CPI)­­ who had legally filed their nominations had them rejected by Kumar. This paved the way for the unopposed election of Rajpuri. Mir went to court and the special court set up to hear numerous elections petitions held Kumar's order as illegal and void and the election of Rajpuri was quashed. Justice Anant Singh passed severe strictures against Kumar holding him guilty of tampering with election records. The judge recommended criminal proceedings against Kumar under section 167 of the IPG. A departmental inquiry was instituted but its findings never saw the light of day. Incidentally, during the 1967 elections, 30 Congress nominees were elected unopposed. A good number of them were from Anantnag District. And though there have been no malpractice allegations against Kumar this time, the chief secretary has surprised many with allegedly 'inflated' poll figures pertaining to certain constituencies in the Valley.