Repolling underway at one booth in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar

The villagers had earlier decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development.

ByPTI

Published Apr 29, 2024 | 12:30 PMUpdatedApr 29, 2024 | 12:31 PM

The damage to the polling booth.

Repolling is underway at one polling station in Indiganatha village of Hanur, which falls under Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka on Monday, 29 April, amid elaborate security arrangements.

Polling began at 7 am and will end by 6 pm.

The repolling was ordered by the Election Commission following reports that electronic voting machines were damaged at the polling booth in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district on 26 April during a clash between two groups of people over whether to vote or not in the Lok Sabha elections.

According to the district administration, the villagers had earlier decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development. However, after assurances and efforts by the local officials, polling was underway.

As per preliminary information, one of the groups wanted to vote while the other was keen to boycott, leading to clashes between them during which they damaged EVMs, and also indulged in stone-pelting, the officials said.

In a letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the EC had stated that based on the reports submitted by the Returning Officer and General Observer for Chamrajnagar Constituency and after taking all material circumstances into account, it declared that polling held at polling station number 146 under the Hanur Assembly Constituency on Friday was void.

Also Read: EC orders re-polling at one booth in Chamarajanagar LS segment in Karnataka on 29 April

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