WB panchayat polls: Re-polling underway in 568 booths, violence reported

Uttar Dinajpur [West Bengal]: Police baton charged on people in Uttar Dinajpur district's Goalpokhar as a crowd-control measure during the re-polling of panchayat polls.

This happened as a result of people's agitation when the re-polling started late in booth number 36/37.

The re-polling of panchayat polls in West Bengal is being held on Wednesday in 568 panchayat election booths spread across 19 districts of the state.

The booths, where re-polling is taking place, include 63 in Murshidabad, 52 in Coochbehar, 28 in West Midnapore and 10 in Hooghly among others.

The State Election Commission had ordered the re-poll, following complaints of violence during the polls on Monday.

The poll panel has asked the state government and the police to make elaborate security arrangements so that polling can be held in a free and fair manner.

The counting of votes will be held on May 17.

The panchayat elections in West Bengal saw huge-scale clashes on Monday between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, resulting in the death of at least 12 people.

The Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and other parties of the Left Front also staged a protest outside State Election Commission in Kolkata against the incidents of violence.

Taking note of the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs also sought a report from the state government regarding incidents of violence during Panchayat Election in the state.

The voting took place for 621 zilla parishads, over six thousand panchayat samitis, and nearly 31 thousand gram panchayats.