SEC orders repoll on October 8, counting on October 9

West Bengal State Election Commission today said repoll will be held in some booths of Bidhannagar and Asansol Corporations and Bally in Howrah, while counting for elections to all three municipal bodies will be done on October 9.
"Repoll in some booths of Bidhannagar, Asansol and Bally in Howrah municipal corporation will be held on October 8," State Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay said.
He, however, said the Commission was yet to decide which booths would go for repolling.
"Counting for all the three bodies will be held on October 9," Upadhyay told PTI.
The Commission had yesterday postponed counting of votes in the elections to Bidhannagar and Asansol municipal corporations and Bally following allegations of large-scale violence.

Today's decision by the Commission came after a two-day long political tug-of-war with the Opposition who were demanding fresh elections alleging violence in the polls held on October three and the ruling Trinamool Congress seeking counting on the scheduled date of October seven.

The opposition CPI(M)-led Left Front, BJP and Congress demanded fresh elections to all these municipal bodies alleging violence and loot of votes by TMC.
A BJP delegation led by its state president Rahul Sinha had sat on a dharna on Saturday evening in front of the Commissioner's office demanding repoll.
Following the commission's decision to postpone counting, TMC resorted to a dharna at the same venue since this morning.

It was led by party heavyweights like TMC general secretary and MP Subrata Bakshi, Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, party secretary-general and Education minister Partha Chatterjee and Kolkata Mayor Sobhan Chatterjee.