Agartala: The Election Commission of India (ECI) last night in a meeting with Congress delegation made it clear that there is no scope of holding a fresh poll in West Tripura parliamentary constituency, as Special Observer Vinod Zutshi has overruled the initial report of Returning Officer (RO).
Five days after polling on April 11 last, the then RO of West Tripura constituency Sandeep M Mahatme in a report had stated that election process was vitiated in 433 polling stations out of 1679.
He mentioned that as many as 65 booths polling officials had reported irregularities during the election while 368 booths did not have the video footage of less than nine hours.
According to the report, the ECI had mandated 100 per cent webcasting and videography of total polling hours of polling, which was not less than 10 hours as per the voting schedule of ECI. But absent of more than one-hour video record followed by the allegation of large scale booth capturing and rigging by the oppositions became a critical issue for RO.
In all 368 booths, RO found either camera did not placed properly or it was destroyed during the polling but these were reported neither by presiding officers nor by micro observers.
While reviewing the video footage and reports of presiding officers and micro observers, RO was convinced that polling officials had not reported the alleged malpractices during polling properly and accordingly FIRs have been lodged against many of them.
Based on the report of Mahatme, Congress moved to ECI and later to Supreme Court seeking fresh poll in West Tripura.
Meantime, based on the report of all concerns, ECI held repoll in 168 booths, which could not satisfy Congress and CPI (M).
Meantime, ECI summoned Congress delegation for holding talks on their demand of fresh poll on Thursday in New Delhi.
The Congress, however, demanded to get the report of a special observer, so that it can be challenged in the Supreme Court, as according to them the special observer did not follow the proper process and ground report. (UNI)
