Repoll in 3 polling stations in Raiganj on April 29.

MP | 28 April 2019 | Kolkata: The Election Commission has ordered re-poll in three polling booths of Raiganj and one polling booth of Cooch Behar in North Bengal on April 29. According to the sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), re-poll would be conducted in booths 19 and 37 of Islampur and booth 191 of Goyalpukur under the Raiganj parliamentary constituency where elections were held on April 18. Repoll would also be held at booth 181 of Cooch Behar on April 29 along with the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections. Cooch Behar went to poll in the first phase of elections on April 11.

It may be mentioned that various opposition parties including the BJP demanded re-poll in many other booths alleging that the polls were not conducted in a free and fair manner. After examining the situation, the Election Commission has, however, felt the need of conducting repoll in four polling booths in North Bengal.

The state BJP leaders demanded repoll in many other polling stations of Raiganj and Cooch Behar citing violence. The CEO office sent a detailed report to the Election Commission of India. After being instructed by the ECI, the CEO office ordered repoll in the four polling booths that saw violence on the days of their respective elections. 

Meanwhile, the ECI has denied the demand of Trinamool Congress to replace BJP's symbol on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency as they claimed that the symbols on the EVMs carry a mention of the party name — BJP right at the bottom of the symbols. 

On the basis of the complaint, the CEO office sought an opinion from the ECI in Delhi. After examining the symbol, the ECI has cleared it saying that there is no mention of BJP's party name on the EVM along with the symbol as it was alleged by certain political parties. 

The ECI has also issued the necessary instructions to the CEO office in this regard. The ECI observed that what the other political parties including the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state are referring to as a mention of the BJP's party name on EVM in Barrackpore is not so and hence there is no question of replacing the symbol.