Cong, Bjp, Trinamool Allege Rigging

Major parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party have complained to the Election Commission about instances of rigging, booth capturing and intimiditation of voters by their opponents during the polling on Saturday.

Jawahar Sircar, chief electoral officer, said yesterday repoll had been ordered in three three polling stations in the Garden Reach assembly segment of the Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency.

The Commission did not give its permission to hold repoll in 16 booths of Howrah parliamentary constituency though the observers had sent their reports citing evidences of booth capturing, tampering and snatching of ballot boxes. The contestants did not want any repoll in this constituency, Sircar said.

Chief minister Jyoti Basu expressed his satisfaction over the peaceful polling in the state, and noted that the Election Commission had appreciated that polling always remained peaceful in the state, compared to other parts of the country. He said that there had been 75 per cent voting in the election.

Asked about poll-related violence, Basu said that there had been no trouble in the Dum Dum constituency.

The BJP candidate had sent frequent messages demanding repoll in 500 booths in this constituency.

Replying to a question about the number of seats the United Front expected to get in this election Basu remarked that this question should be put to astrologers, and newsmen could hold conferences with them.

The chief minister said that the CPM politburo and the partys central committee would meet in New Delhi shortly to discuss election results.

Buddhadev Bhattacharya, home minister, said there had been three incidents of bomb blasts near polling booths in Calcutta, Barrackpore and Howrah; however, none were injured.