Bengal panchayat election: Re-polling underway in 696 booths amid reports of sporadic violence

Kolkata, July 10 (IANS) Fresh polling was underway on Monday at  696 booths across19 districts of West Bengal for the three- tier panchayat system with reports of sporadic violence coming from different pockets of the state.

However, the reports and seriousness of violence coming so far had been negligible compared to what it was on the polling day on Saturday  when a number of violence- related deaths were reported in the first two hours of polling. There were adequate central armed forces both within and outside booths where the polling was going on.

Several police officers and policemen were seen approaching the voters at their residence and offering to escort them to the polling stations.

Although on late Sunday night, the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) had issued a notification claiming that there will be fresh polling for 697 booths on Monday morning it was learnt that the number has been reduced by one.

The maximum number of booths where the re-polling is going on since Monday morning is in Murshidabad, followed by Malda and Nadia.

At Domjur in Howrah district tension mounted over the alleged attempts to break in the strong-room where the ballot- boxes were stored. As tension mounted a police contingent reached the spot and took the situation under control. 

According to the CPI(M) state secretariat member Kallol Majumdar the back side wall of the strong room has been broken by Trinamool Congress miscreants.

"There had been reports of violence from Khejuri in East Midnapore district where three ballot boxes were thrown in an adjacent pond. The ruling party activists have been hurling bombs in the area since Sunday night. The central forces personnel are not visible there," he said.

Trinamool Congress leadership, however, denied the allegations.