After widespread reports of violence, arson, looting, and tampering with Ballot boxes during Panchayat elections, the State Election Commission on Sunday evening, 9 July, announced to hold re-polling in Purulia, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri, and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal.
West Bengal panchayat elections | Re-polling to be held in Purulia, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri and South 24 Parganas tomorrow in West Bengal: State Election Commission pic.twitter.com/FE3RtZ43M0
— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023
As per the information received, the Bengal State Election Commission has ordered re-polling in those booths where the voting was declared void. The SEC further announced that a fresh poll will be held on Monday, that is tomorrow, 10th of July from 7 am to 5 pm.
According to the announcement, re-polling will be held in 604 booths for the Panchayat elections.
As per India Today, the number of booths in a district on which the SEC has announced re-polling is as follows.
175 booths will go for re-polling In Murshidabad. Similarly, 112 booths in Malda; 89 booths in Nadia; 46 in North 24 Parganas; 36 in South 24 Parganas; 31 in Purba Medinipur; 29 in Hooghly; 18 in Dakshin Dinajpur; 14 in Jalpaiguri; 14 in Birbhum; 10 in Paschim Medinipur; 8 in Bankura; 8 in Howrah; 6 in Paschim Bardhaman; 4 in Purulia; 3 in Purba Bardhaman; and 1 in Alipurduar.
In South 24 Paragans, re-polling will be held at 36 booths, including 10 in Diamond Harbour; five each in Gosaba and Joynagar; four in Basanti; three each in Kultali, Joynagar II; two in Mandir Bazar; and one each in Bishnupur, Baruipur, Mathurapur, and Magrahat.
Further, the SEC has also sought detailed reports from the district magistrates (DMs) on the deaths and violence reported during the Panchayat polling.
In the state’s three-tier panchayat system, around 73,887 seats were up for grabs during the recent polls. There were around 2.06 lakh candidates trying their luck on these seats. As per media reports, the voter turn out in this year’s Panchayat election was around 66.28 percent. Around 5.67 crore individuals residing in the state’s rural areas were eligible to exercise their right to vote.
Earlier, BJP, Congress, and other political parties had accused the TMC has brought down a reign of terror and has stifled democracy within the state. After numerous incidences of politically motivated incidences of violence, arson, and killings of party workers, the State BJP President Dr. Sukanta Majumdar had to write a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and restore democracy in West Bengal.
