EC orders repolling at 4 booths in MP's Betul LS seat on May 10
May 09, 2024
Betul (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 9 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered repolling at four booths in Madhya Pradesh's Betul Lok Sabha seat on May 10 after electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling officials caught fire on Tuesday night.
The order for re-election by the EC came after the district administration submitted a report on the fire incident.
The repolling will be held at Rajapur, Kunda Raiyat, Chikhlimal and Dudar Raiyat of the Multai assembly segment of the parliamentary seat. The repolling is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.
Betul Collector Narendra Surayavanshi said, "There will be a provision of scrutiny by the observer after polling. Liquor shops will be closed at the 3 km range of the polling stations. All arrangements are being done at war foot level."
Earlier, a bus carrying polling officials and EVM caught fire in Betul district while returning from Goula village. There were 36 people on the bus.
Betul SP Nischal Jharia said the fire broke out due to a mechanical fault but no one suffered any injuries in the incident.
"The polling personnel left with EVMs of six polling booths...The fire broke out due to a mechanical fault. Two EVMs are undamaged while four others suffered a little damage to their parts. There were 36 people on the bus. They jumped out of the bus by somehow breaking the glass on the windows of the bus as its doors got jammed. They did not suffer injuries...They were sent ahead on another bus...A case has been registered in this regard," Betul SP Nischal Jharia told ANI.
During the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, nine seats in Madhya Pradesh including Betul, Guna, Morena, Bhind, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Gwalior, and Bhopal, cast ballots in the state with an approximate voting turnout percentage of 66.05 per cent.
