West Bengal’s Valta Assembly constituency is witnessing a re-poll today, May 21, after the Election Commission ordered a fresh vote on the seat, citing “subversion of the democratic process”.
The constituency had earlier gone to the polls on April 29, which was eventually canceled and the Election Commission ordered a re-polling.
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Strict security measures
The Election Commission has almost doubled security arrangements for the re-poll in Valta constituency, PTI reported, citing a senior poll commission official.
Eight Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel will be deployed at each polling station. The official said that during the April 29 polling, there were only four staff stationed at each booth.
Read also | Missing CCTV Footage, Proxy Voting in Bengal’s Valtha: Poll Watcher’s Report
“The poll panel does not want to leave any room for irregularities this time. Therefore, security arrangements have been greatly enhanced,” the official told PTI.
The polling official further stated that Valta has 285 polling stations and about 35 companies of central forces will be deployed to ensure smooth voting.
In addition, 30 rapid response teams will remain on standby to respond in a timely manner to any disturbances.
The European Commission has also tightened surveillance measures, with two webcams being installed inside each polling booth and one outside. The live webcast will also cover the polling process and its surroundings.
“The monitoring will be conducted from the offices of the District Electoral Officer (DEO) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO),” he said. The official added that drone monitoring on the day of the resurvey is also being considered.
“Three election observers have been appointed to supervise the re-polling process,” the officer said.
TMC candidate withdraws from Valta re-poll
Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Jahangir Khan withdrew from the re-poll contest in Valta on Tuesday, citing West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s announcement of the special package for the constituency.
“I dreamed of Valta becoming Golden Valta. The Prime Minister said that a special package for Valta would be announced. That is why I will step down from contesting the re-referendum,” Khan said.
“I am a son of the land. I will step down to ensure peace and prosperity for Valta and its people,” he added.
CM Suvendu promises jobs
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday held a high-voltage roadshow in Valta, promising jobs to a family member of every BJP worker allegedly killed in post-election violence after the 2021 Assembly polls.
Adhikari also announced a special package for the constituency in the upcoming state budget.
He also criticized Prime Minister Jahangir Khan of TMC for withdrawing from the contest. “Where is Pushpa? He had no other way, as he would not get a polling agent, so he decided to run away,” he added.
Read also | ‘Black chapter’: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari orders probe into post-poll violence in 2021, targets Abhishek Banerjee
Adhikari also claimed that people in the Assembly constituency were feeling a sense of political liberation after what he described as years of intimidation.
He added, “What I am witnessing today is people’s happiness. It feels like a second Independence Day. Voters will regain their voting rights after 10 years and will finally be able to cast their votes freely and fairly.”
The BJP candidate says he will win Valletta by more than 1 lakh votes
BJP’s Valta candidate, Dibangshu Panda, expressed confidence in his victory in the re-poll on May 21, saying, “In Valta, BJP will win by a margin of 1-1.5 lakh votes.”
He alleged widespread irregularities during polling in parts of the Valta Assembly constituency, including tampering with some booths and incidents of voter intimidation.
Speaking to the news agency, Panda had claimed that the BJP had raised objections over irregularities in several booths and demanded fresh polling in those areas, following which the EC ordered re-polling on May 21.
“We have petitioned for re-polling in 150 booths where the cello tape was placed on the BJP symbol… They even rolled cameras in some booths… Yesterday, they took a decision on our demand and announced re-poll on May 21… In Valta, BJP will win by a margin of 1-1.5 lakh votes,” Panda said.
Why was re-polling requested in Valta?
Special observer Sujit Mishra submitted a detailed report on the voting in Valta, following which the IEC ordered a re-polling.
HT previously reported that the observer’s report details violations at dozens of polling stations in the constituency, based on CCTV footage reviewed.
For example, at polling station 229, no video footage was available from the start of polling until 3:14pm, while at polling station 177, footage was not available during three separate windows: 1.05am to 1.15pm, 1.28pm to 1.38pm, and 3.04pm to 3.22pm.
“Serious allegations of intimidation and voter obstruction were not verified due to the lack of footage,” the report said.
Besides the missing CCTV footage, the warden’s report also listed various violations where the cameras worked. The observer noted that at polling station No. 224, “there were an extremely high number of instances in which attendants cast votes on behalf of voters throughout the day, multiple people were inside the voting booth, the same individuals showed up to vote multiple times, and a poll worker repeatedly approached the booth and cast votes on behalf of voters.”
Similar incidents also occurred at polling stations 160, 182, 232 and others.
The observer concluded that 60 of Valta’s 285 polling stations had been invalidated during the election.
(with PTI input)
