EC orders repoll at Faridabad booth

The Election Commission on Monday ordered repolling at a polling station in Faridabad Lok Sabha seat on May 19 after a polling agent was arrested for influencing voters.

The re-poll will be held at the polling station in Prithla assembly segment of the constituency.

The Election Commission said that Ashok Kumar Garg IAS has been posted by the Commission as new Returning Officer of Faridabad parliamentary constituency. He has been directed to join at Faridabad by forenoon on Tuesday.

It said that "a complaint of violation of secrecy of voting was reported from polling station number 88 Asaoti of Prithla assembly constituency segment".

"On inquiry by the Observer, the complaint was found to be true. The Commission has therefore ordered a fresh poll at this polling station on May 19, 2019," the EC said in a statement.

It said that an FIR was lodged against the polling agent Giriraj Singh.

The presiding officer Amit Atri has been placed under suspension for the dereliction of duty and criminal action is also being initiated against him.

The commission said that micro observer Sonal Gulati has not reported the incident correctly for which she has been from any election related work for three years.

The EC said it took a serious note of the failure to take immediate action on the incident and transferred the Returning Officer from present posting.

The agent in was arrested after a video of him allegedly trying to influence voters went viral on social media.

Polling took place in Faridabad Lok Sabha seat on May 12 along with other seats in Haryana.

--IANS

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