Guwahati: Repolling commenced today, May 4th, across 43 polling booths in five districts of Assam, following the first phase of Panchayat elections.
Officials confirmed that the necessity for repolling arose due to various irregularities and disturbances reported during the initial voting. The affected districts include Hailakandi, Sribhumi, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, and Majuli.
Hailakandi witnessed the largest number of booths going for repolling, with 31 locations involved. The district administration, in collaboration with the police, implemented stringent security measures, deploying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to each polling station. The voting process started promptly at 7:30 AM, with significant voter turnout observed from the early hours.
In Majuli, the Kachikata Adarsha ME School became the focal point for repolling, triggered by a tense incident on May 2nd. Authorities deployed heavy security, including police and paramilitary forces, to ensure peace. A total of 735 voters from Baruah Chuk, Gopalchuk, and Kathal Chapori are participating in this re-election.
The Dhakuakhana sub-district also saw repolling at two critical locations: the 5th Bogoriguri Ward of East Dhakuakhana Zila Parishad and the 8th Ward of Khajuha Tribal Higher Secondary School in West Dhakuakhana Zila Parishad. This was ordered by the State Election Commission due to reported violations of election rules. The voting began at 7:30 AM. Initially, voters at the Khajuha station announced a boycott, alleging political manipulation, but later reversed their decision and engaged in the electoral process. The Khajuha station has 777 voters, while the Bogoriguri station has 809. Early morning queues included elderly residents, all keen to cast their votes. Sribhumi and Golaghat had eight and one polling booths respectively, where repolling was conducted peacefully.
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