MP Elections: Repolling Underway At 1 Booth In Ater Constituency Due To Secrecy Breach

The Election Commission of India ordered the repolling after security was breached at the polling booth during November 17 polls.

Repolling took place at a booth in Ater constituency of MP's Bhind district on Tuesday/Representational Image ( Image Source :PTI )

Repolling began at one booth in Ater constituency of Madhya Pradesh’ Bhind district on Tuesday, said an official, adding that the voting began at 7 am and was going peacefully at booth number 3 under polling centre number 71 in Kishupura. The polling will conclude at 6 pm, he added, as per a PTI report. 

The repolling was ordered at the booth by the Election Commission of India because of breach of secrecy as some people shot videos of voting at the booth concerned in Kishupura during the elections on November 17, the report added.

Owing to the breach of secrecy, four members of the polling party have been suspended, Bhind collector and district returning officer Sanjeev Shrivastava earlier said.

According to the instructions, polling officials were marking the indelible ink on middle fingers of the voters, another official told the news agency. 

Voters were not allowed to take their mobile phones inside the polling booth and all other rules of model code of conduct were also being followed, he said, adding that the entire repolling process was being videographed. 

State BJP minister and Ater's sitting MLA Arvind Singh Bhadauria is in a direct contest against former legislator Hemant Katare of the Congress in the assembly seat.

The polling for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly took place on November 17 in a single phase with a a voter turnout of 77.15 per cent, as per the Election Commission.

Of the total 5.6 crore registered voters in the state, 78.21 per cent males exercised their franchise, while out of the total eligible females, 76.03 per cent turned up to vote.

Ratlam’s Sailana assembly seat recorded the highest voter turnout at 90.10 per cent, while Jobat seat in Alirajpur district in the state's western region saw the lowest turnout of 54.37 per cent, as per the data.