February 23, 2018: State CPIM today came down heavily on CEO, Agartala and criticized the role of Election Department after CEO announced re-poll in six booths for which no political parties demanded repoll. Addressing a press meet today in Agartala, State CPIM Secretary Bijan Dhar said, CPIM categorically mentioned about booths in Takarjala and Golaghati where IPFT supporters forcibly pushed out CPIM agents and prevented people from casting their votes. “CPIM demanded re-poll in Takarjala and Golaghati Constituencies citing proper and justifiable reasons – however, CEO remained mum over our demand, instead astonishingly EC announced re-polls in six booths where no one asked for a re-poll.
Saying that ” ECI decides at their own responsibility to Re-poll without demands by any political party for 6 Polling Stations showing callousness of Officers & weak management of Election Authority.”, he urged voters of six booths where re-poll will be held to vote for LF candidates denouncing BJP and condemning EC’s inefficiency in conducting votes without causing troubles for voters.
Bijan Dhar also criticized the CEO’s decision on counting VVPAT slips in seven other booths where Presiding Officers did not erase votes polled during ‘mock poll’. Moreover, CEO’s decision on four booths where discrepancies between total number of voters and votes polled were identified also came under fire.
He blamed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) along with his entire team including Observers of different levels for failure to ensure smooth polling as voters had a harrowing time on February 18 and had to wait in long queue – even in some booths till midnight – for EVM failures. “The EC must answer why voters had to suffer – Did Election department imparted proper training or selected right persons ?”, Dhar asked.
