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Repolling ends in West Bengal booths; counting today
Re-polling for West Bengal panchayat elections was held in 696 booths that had seen disruptions on June 8. Four more deaths were reported, taking the toll of political violence to 42 since June 8. The opposition parties demanded a re-poll due to allegations of rigging and violence. Votes will be counted on Tuesday.
Kolkata:
Polling for West Bengal panchayat elections was held again on Monday in 696 booths that had seen disruptions on June 8, even as four more persons were reported dead, taking the toll of political violence to 42 since June 8, when the three-tier local body polls were announced.
Voting was peaceful in all 696 booths amid security by central forces and state armed police, the state election commission told the Calcutta high Court. Votes will be counted on Tuesday.
Among the four deaths, the body of an ostensible Bharatiya Janata Party worker was found at Dhubulia in Nadia district. Three persons, a reported Communist Party of India (Marxist) worker from Nadia, and two reported Trinamool Congress party workers from Murshidabad, who suffered injuries in the violence on polling day on July 8, succumbed to their injuries in hospitals.
At least 18 persons were killed and dozens injured on Saturday amid widespread allegations of booth capturing, rigging, looting of ballot boxes, heckling of polling officials, firing and bomb attacks. The number of people that died solely on voting day stands at 18, sixhigher than the 12 people that were killed in polling day violence in 2018.
The opposition in the state, led by the BJP, the Congress and the Left, had demanded a re-poll, arguing that there was no atmosphere in the state that allows for free and fair polls. “There were no central forces in 80% of the booths. Thousands of booths were looted. Re-poll is being held only in 696 booths. This is just eyewash. Violence has been reported even when re-poll was being held,” said Congress parliamentarian Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The maximum number of booths where re-polls were held were in Murshidabad district with 175, followed by Malda, where re-poll was held in 109 booths. Re-poll was also ordered at 89 booths in Nadia, 53 in Cooch Behar, 46 in North 24 Parganas, 42 in North Dinajpur, 36 in South 24 Parganas and 31 in East Midnapore, among others.
Chowdhury moved the Calcutta high court on Monday, demanding compensation for victims killed or injured in poll-related violence and a probe into the events of Saturday, which should be conducted by an independent agency and monitored by the court.
A division bench led by chief justice TS Sivagnanam directed that the injured be given the best treatment possible in government hospitals, and asked the state government to submit details of police complaints and autopsy reports.
On Monday, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari continued his tirade against the ruling TMC and the state election commission. “The death parade doesn’t seem to stop. A BJP worker was killed in Nadia. There were 61,000 booths and 50% were looted. We had shared a list of 6,000 booths where re-poll should be held. They have ordered re-poll only in 696 booths. None of the booths, which we had mentioned, were included in the re-poll list,” Adhikari said.
“Untoward incidents took place only in some booths. The polling was largely peaceful. The opposition triggered the violence, knowing very well that people would reject them. Wherever there have been any problems, re-poll has been ordered,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson.
The BJP has announced that it will send a four-member team led by former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad that will send a report to party president JP Nadda.
