WB: Re-polls witness rigging, yet again!

, May 13: Though elections in

were exemplary in voter turn-out in all the five-phases of Lok Sabha elections 2014, it also left a sour taste in the mouth with alleged booth rigging, bomb shelling, lathi charge, name calling and more. Following this, the EC conceded to re-poll in 1,317 out of a total of 17,323 booths in West Bengal today.

However, things were not as smooth as it was expected to be. In a booth in Mangalkote, it was alleged that in a booth, TMC workers stood beside the EVM machine and directed the voters to vote on the Trinamool symbol.

Earlier yesterday, CP(I)M leader Biman Bose said that he was disappointed with the Election Commission as it failed to curb violence in the state. He also alleged that Trinamool workers and supporters ransacked the offices of the CP(I)M during polls.

However, election special observer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh said that polls were held in a free and fair manner, leaving room for guessing whether it was peaceful as well.

To this, the CPM said,"How can he say so without collecting information? It is not easy to make an instant comment like that. So it was pre-meditated."

Bose also complained that many of the booths did not have CCTV cameras and video facilities too, which increased the possibility of violence.

OneIndia News