New Delhi, May 12
The Election Commission today ordered repolling in 631 polling stations in Bihar and Bengal following complaints of electoral malpractices.
The commission said re-poll would be held in 193 polling booths in in Siwan and 429 polling stations in Bettiah Parliamentary Constituencies in Bihar.
It would be held in six polling booths in Kolkata North East, two in Murshidabad and one in Diamond Harbour, the commission said.
While re-poll in Bihar would be held on May 24, the EC said the electorate in West Bengal would cast their ballot tomorrow. The counting of votes in the three Lok Sabha constituencies, where repolling is being held will begin at 1400 hours. The directive to hold repoll in Siwan and Bettiah follows a report by two teams comprising two members each, which were sent to the constituencies to probe poll malpractices in the third phase of polling on April 26.
The order comes close on the heels of a similar probe in Chhapra in Bihar from where former Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was a candidate and which was countermanded.
Earlier this month, film director Prakash Jha who is an Independent candidate from Bettiah, had complained to the Election Commission of electoral malpractices, including capturing of booths.
Meanwhile, the Congress candidate from the Sambhal parliamentary constituency Ashok Yadav has complained to the
commission that the polling in the constituency was “stage-managed” in favour of Samajwadi Party candidate Ramgopal Yadav, who is Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother and has demanded countermanding of poll in the constituency.
