Repolling in 11 booths ordered
The new interim state election commissioner, Mr Alapan Bandyopadhyay, on Thursday ordered repolling in nine booths of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and two booths of Asansol Municipal Corporation on Friday and counting of votes on Saturday even as all Opposition parties declared that they would boycott the repolling.
“Repolling would be held in the nine booths spread across four wards of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and two booths in Asansol Municipal Corporation tomorrow. The counting of votes for the October 3 election in those two civic bodies and in some wards in Howrah Municipal Corporation would be held on October 10,” Mr Bandyopadhyay announced after holding discussions with the DM, SP, commissioner of police, municipal returning officer, district municipal election officer, SDO, observers and special observers of the concerned civic bodies.
In Biddhannagar Municipal Corporation, booth number 92 of ward 2, booths 339 and 343 of ward 33, booths 353, 356 and 362 of ward 34 and booths 425, 426 and 427 of ward 41 would hold repolling. Similarly, a repoll would be held in booth 126 of ward 14 and booth 667 of ward 75 of Asansol Municipal Corporation.
The interim state election commissioner asserted that the decision to conduct repolling in nine booths was taken because a “significant number of voters appeared to have been deprived of their voting rights” due to “booth- capturing”.
“The MRO and observers have categorically said, in writing, that they were not convinced that the electoral process had not been vitiated in all the places. After seeing video footage, including footage from news channels, they were convinced that the poll process was vitiated in some cases, and in others the poll process was not vitiated,” he said.
Mr Bandyopadhyay said he has already spoken to the state home secretary and requested him to “make all possible arrangements” for Friday’s repoll. “Another round of discussions was held with the DM and SPs after announcing the repoll,” he said.