Bengal bypolls: Candidate from Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool faction seeks re-polling in Rejinagar

Kolkata: Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the candidate from Mamata Banerjee-led Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking cancellation of the ongoing bypolls at Rejinagar Assembly constituency in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and had also demanded repolling there.

Chowdhury is the second candidate for the Rejinagar seat to demand repolling there.

Earlier in the day, the Congress candidate for the Rejinagar bypolls, Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, had also raised the same demand and even staged sit-in-demonstration in front of the Rejinagar Police Station in support of his demand.

However, the BJP candidate from Rejinagar, Shankharav Sarkar denied allegations of electoral malpractices there on Tuesday.

"The voting at Rejinagar is taking place in a festive mood. People were able to vote freely and peacefully after a long time, standing in line. We (BJP) were ahead in the campaign and will be ahead in the counting as well. The Opposition will say a lot. But the reality is different," Sarkar said.

Meanwhile, the average polling percentage at Rejinagar and Nandigram Assembly constituencies in East Midnapore district had continue to be quite high at 70.54 per cent till 3 p.m., which, according to the sources from the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had been quite high for bypolls.

Till 3 p.m. the polling percentage at Rejinagar stood at 69.29 per cent, while at Nandigram the figure was even higher at 71.79 per cent.

"Considering that the polling will be till 6 p.m., It can be comfortably said that the final average polling percentage will be well above 80 per cent," a CEO's office source said.

He also added that because of the pleasant weather throughout the day, the voter's enthusiasm was high even between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the period which the voters generally avoid because of heat.

Meanwhile, after receiving a detailed report from the Murshidabad district administration regarding the arrest of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder-cum-legislator, Humayun Kabir, earlier on Tuesday, the CEO's office had forwarded the report to the ECI's headquarters in New Delhi.

It is learnt that in the report it had been said that Kabir was arrested for violating election rules.

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