Re-polling underway in Majuli, Sribhumi amid tight security and strong voter turnout

Majuli/Sribhumi, May 4: Re-polling for the panchayat elections is underway smoothly and peacefully in Assam’s Majuli and Sribhumi districts on Sunday.

The Assam State Election Commission ordered re-elections in select polling stations in these districts following reports of rigging, ballot discrepancies, and violence during the initial polling held on May 2.

In Majuli, voters are casting their ballots again at Booth No. 3 of Kachikata Model ME School. Polling began at 7:30 am and has seen enthusiastic participation from residents across the region.

A total of 735 voters from the villages of Kanchikata, Baruachuk, Gopal Suk, and Kathal Chapri of Ahatguri cast their votes so far. Security is significantly bolstered with the deployment of police and CRPF personnel, ensuring that voting takes place in an orderly and peaceful manner.

This re-polling followed violent scenes during the first phase of polling, where allegations of severe rigging led to a chaotic situation at the booth.

Reportedly, Congress workers accused the presiding officer of facilitating rigging, allegedly humiliated him, and made off with ballot boxes and ballot papers.

The incident forced the booth to be declared invalid for polling and necessitated Sunday’s re-election.

Meanwhile, re-polling is also held in Sribhumi district in eight polling stations, which had been invalidated by the Assam State Election Commission due to untoward incidents during the May-2 polls. Voting is peaceful so far, with a 35% turnout recorded by 12:30 pm, according to updates from the Election Cell.

Speaking to the media, Sribhumi Deputy Commissioner Pradip Kumar Dwibedi confirmed that polling is proceeding without any disruptions. "The polling is going on peacefully without any problem," he said, adding that elaborate arrangements were made to ensure smooth conduct and voter safety.

He also visited several key polling centres including Kamargram LP School, Kamargram ME School, and Tinghori LP School during the voting hours.

The eight polling stations where re-elections were held included:

808 No. Tinghari LP School (80/9),

504 No. Kamargram Vivekananda LP School (80/6),

Kamargram ME School (80/6A) under Bagbari Pirechak GP,

1283 No. Chandkani LP School (70/5) under Gandhi Brahmanshasan GP,

Jafargarh Extended Higher Secondary School Room No. 1 (83/3) under Barigram GP,

Tukerbazar High School Room No. 3 (85/1) under Dhalchhara GP,

1381 Chowdhury Tila LP School (85/5), and

1035 Khaser Gaon LP School (89/10) under Zurbari Kabariband GP.

Alongside Majuli and Sribhumi, re-polling was also conducted in 31 polling booths in Hailakandi, 2 in Lakhimpur, and 1 in Golaghat, as part of the Election Commission’s efforts to uphold the sanctity of the democratic process.