Tripura: ECI declares re-polling in 168 booths, highest in country

Agartala: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced re-polling at 168 polling stations across the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency on May 12.

Addressing a press conference chief electoral officer (CEO) Sriram Taranikanti said that the number of polling stations that are going for re-polling will be the highest for any Lok Sabha seat across the country.

A total of 1,41,251 electors will cast their votes during the re-polling across four districts of the state — 66 in West Tripura, 57 in Sepahijala, 28 in Gomati and 17 in South Tripura, the CEO added.

Also Read: Cong team meets CEC, demands re-poll in West Tripura constituency

The ECI declared polling at 168 out of 1,679 polling stations as void based on the reports submitted by the CEO, special observer and the returning officer.

The notification by the ECI said, “After taking all the materials circumstances into account, under sub-sections (2) of section 58 of the Representation of the people Act, 1051 that the polling on April 11, 2019, at 168 polling stations in 1-Tripura West Tripura Parliamentary Constituency against the assembly segments to be void and appoints May 12 as the date and fix hours 7 am to 5 pm for taking a fresh poll.”

The opposition CPI(M) and the Congress had complained of misconduct and held the ruling BJP responsible for mass rigging across the Tripura West constituency during the polls on April 11. They demanded fresh polls after finding reports of rigging in over 50% of polling stations in the constituency.

Further, the opposition warned of knocking the doors of Supreme Court if the number of polling stations go down compared to the main election day.

Earlier, Vinod Zutshi, who was appointed as the special observer for Tripura on April 22, had recommended re-polling in 131 polling stations in his initial reports to ECI after holding review meetings and going through the scrutiny process of the Tripura West Parliamentary constituency.

Also Read: EC to file FIRs against Tripura booth capturing incidents

Meanwhile, 15 companies of central paramilitary forces had reached in state in addition to the companies already deployed here for the repoll in the West Tripura Constituency.

Earlier last month, the Election Commission had postponed voting in the East Tripura seat from April 18 in the second phase to the third phase on April 23 saying that the prevailing law-and-order situation was not conducive for holding free and fair poll.

The results for Lok Sabha elections 2019 will come out on May 23.