Final polling count 68.54 per cent in KMC elections

The civic election to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has finally recorded a 68.54 per cent polling with complete updates received by the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC).
After the polling time was over on April 18, State Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay announced 62.46 per cent of polling in the KMC poll.
With the availability of final reports, Upadhyay said, "The civic poll to the KMC has rose to 68.54 per cent from 62.46 per cent announced earlier."
Since polling continued in many booths beyond polling hours as there were queues, reports of those polling stations poured in later, Upadhyay said adding "New figures were compiled later resulting in the hike in percentage."

Regarding opposition demands for repoll in many booths under KMC, Upadhyay said that the Commission was yet to take any call on the issue.
"We have received 19 complaints from different political parties, which had been forwarded to the District Municipal Election Officer (DMEO) for review. After I receive report from the DMEO along with reports of the presiding officers, a decision will be taken by the Commission, if repoll could be ordered in any polling booth," Upadhyay said.

The SEC further said that even as the Commission was to get reports from the DMEO by today, he has not received it as yet.

Meanwhile, A CPI(M) delegation led by senior party leader Rabin Deb met the SEC demanding appropriate steps to avert recurrence of the violence and "rigging" during KMC polls in the ensuing civic polls to 91 municipalities on April 25.
Deb also demanded repoll in those booths "where the sealed EVMs are found not signed by the agents of opposition political parties during counting of votes."
To a question on the incident of firing on a sub-inspector in North Kolkata, Upadhyay said that he had sought a report of the incident from Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha.
"I have sought a report of the Kolkata Police Commissioner on the incident of firing on a Sub-Inspector in North Kolkata, even as I had not received any report on the incident from the election observers," Upadhyay said.

"We are also reviewing published reports of the incident in different newspapers," he said.