MP: ECI orders repolling in Bhind booth over secrecy breach
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a repoll at a voting booth in the Ater Assembly constituency of Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district, citing a confidentiality breach. The ECI scheduled the repoll at a Kishupura booth for Tuesday. This came after several voters reportedly filmed the voting process at the booth on Friday when assembly elections were held in the state. District Collector and Returning Officer Sanjeev Shrivastava said four polling team members were suspended over the incident.
Why does this story matter?
The ECI can order a repoll if authorities conclude that voting was not fair or free at a particular booth or even an entire constituency. While investigating the secrecy breach at the Kishupura booth, officials also discovered that a polling member accompanied voters to the polling area, The Times of India reported. On Friday, the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections were held in a single phase, with a voter turnout of 77.15%, per the ECI.
Repolling rules and precautions
The repoll, per the ECI, will be conducted at booth number 3 of polling center number 71 in Kishupura from 7:00am to 6:00pm on Tuesday. To avoid confusion and prevent double voting, indelible ink will be applied to voters' middle fingers. Shrivastava emphasized mobile phones will not be allowed inside the booth during the repoll, and other regulations concerning the model code of conduct will be rigorously enforced. Moreover, the repolling process will be recorded on video to ensure transparency.
ECI asks election officer to make public announcement
The ECI has also ordered the district election officer of Bhind to ensure that all voters, as well as representatives of political parties, are duly informed about the repolling through a munadi (public announcement). In the Ater constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s incumbent MLA Arvind Singh Bhadauria is up against former legislator Hemant Katare of the Congress party. Per the ECI schedule, the election results will be declared on December 3, after the completion of repolling and vote tallying.
Violence erupts during polling
On Friday, violent incidents were also reported in various areas of the state, especially in Bhind and Morena districts. A BJP candidate and an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporter were injured after unidentified miscreants reportedly opened fire in Bhind's Mehgaon constituency. In Morena's Dimani constituency, goons allegedly barged into Dalit areas to stop them from voting. The administration deployed police officials at various polling booths to maintain law and order.
