CPM asks CEC to resume counting in Tripura CM's seat

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Politburo Member Brinda Karat met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Saturday evening and sought his intervention to ensure counting is resumed in three booths in Chief Minister's constituency in Tripura.

"The CEC has assured that he will take immediate action according to the rules," said Yechury in a statement.

The counting of polling booths numbers 42, 43 and 47 in 23-Dhanpur constituency -- which outgoing Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is contesting -- was stopped after the BJP candidate demanded a repoll in these booths on the plea that there were no signatures of polling agents of BJP in EVM control units at these booths.

Saying that the signatures of the Presiding Officer and the polling agents of other parties were there, Yechury said: "Clearly this is a ruse to disrupt the counting process since the BJP candidate is trailing."

In his letter to the CEC, Yechury wrote: "In addition, we have got reports that with the help of Indo-Tibetan Border Police the counting agents of the CPI-M are being driven out from there, leaving Manik Sarkar alone, who is being gheraoed and heckled by the BJP agents. This is a clear violation of counting procedures."

"Your immediate intervention is required to ensure the continued counting of votes of the above-mentioned polling booths and for more transparency alongside the counting of VVPAT slips of these booths."

--IANS

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