BJP wins repoll seat in Jalpaiguri's Rajganj block

Counting of votes in progress in the Rajganj BDO office on Monday. Picture by Biplab Basak 

TT, May 22, 2018, Jalpaiguri/Cooch Behar: The BJP bagged the panchayat seat in Jalpaiguri's Rajganj block on Monday, where repolling was held on Sunday, as its candidate Dolly Sutradhar defeated Trinamul's Supriya Biswas by 216 votes.

Repolling was announced at the seat by the state election commission as a group of suspected Trinamul workers had entered the centre on May 17, when counting of votes was in progress at the block, and took away some ballots.

Later, police found 450-odd ballots near a bus stand in the town, most of which were torn.

On Sunday, 1,533 voters out of 1,822 voters exercised their franchise in two booths and on Monday, the ballots were counted at the Rajganj BDO office amid tight security.

"Trinamul leaders had realised that they would lose the seat. That is why, on May 17, they assaulted my agent and took away ballots from the counting centre. It has been proved now that people are with us," said Dolly.

In another development, Cooch Behar district BJP leaders removed Anwar Hossain, the district president of the BJP Minority Morcha, from his post.

Also, Pushpen Sarkar, a party leader and observer in Natabari Assembly constituency faced a similar action.

Nikhil Ranjan Dey, the district BJP president, confirmed the decision. "Both Anwar Hossain and Pushpen Sarkar have been removed from their posts," he said.

Party sources said soon a new district president of the minority morcha would be selected.