Voter React To Re-Polling with heavy Security After West Bengal Panchayat Poll Violence

Voters in west Bengal expressed their joy over the deployment of central soldiers on Monday, 10 July as Re-voting in the panchayat elections is now taking place.

Day After the instances of violence in West Bengal from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, and others, the SEC ordered re-voting in 700 districts with heavy security Voters in West Bengal expressed their joy over the deployment of central soldiers on Monday, 10 July as Re-voting in the panchayat elections is now taking place.

Anamika Mandal, a voter at Tikiapara Primary High School in the Murshidabad District said that with the central forces being on duty at the polling booths, the day felt like an election day.

Anjana Majumdar, another voter also added, “The first day there were no central forces. There were just three police personnel. Today, we are happy to see the central forces here, we will be able to cast votes properly and go home.”
Following the violence that occurred during the panchayat elections in the state on July 8, re-voting is currently taking place in 697 booths across five districts in West Bengal.

According to the West Bengal state election commission, the re-voting would take place in five districts: Purulia, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas.

The SDPO Canning Dibakar Das remarked about the security measure and quoted, “There are proper arrangements. Punjab Police gave us 10 Constables and an officer and so did West Bengal Police. I too have a reserve of 52 constables and two officers with me. We have enough employment today and voters are already lining up. Polling has already started.”

The SEC released an official release and informed that WB SEC exercising the power conferred to them by sub-section 3 and sub-section 4 of Section 67 of the said Act fixed 10th July as the re-polling date and the voting will take place between 7 am to 5 pm. District Panchayat Election Officer was also directed to fix the polling station where polls are to take place.

Khagen Murmu, a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party, asked for re-election in Bengal earlier on 9th July after alleged ballot rigging in the violent West Bengal panchayat elections. According to Murmu, election officials and presiding officers were involved in proxy voting in favor of the Trinamool Congress. In a letter to the State Election Commission, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, the WB BJP’s state general secretary, called for re-elections.

Reportedly, Ten people were killed and several more were hurt in acts of violence that were recorded around the state during the Panchayat Poll.
The three-tier panchayat elections in 20 out of 30 districts saw instances of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes, and assault of presiding officers marking widespread violence in the state.