The Election Commission will hold repolling in one booth in Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency. The decision comes after it was found that the Presiding Officer forgot to clear votes that were cast during the mock polling.
Repolling will be held at the booth number 83 of Kalamassery Assembly constituency in Ernakulam. The date of the polling will be announced later.
“The Returning Officer of Ernakulam and the general observer of the constituency have taken the decision and have found a need for repolling. So, accordingly, we have sent a report to the Election Commission. The EC will decide a date for repolling soon," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena confirmed to TNM.
The issue came to light when a difference of 43 votes was found in the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine and the actual votes recorded. As per the records of officers in the polling booth, 715 votes were cast. But the VVPAT machine displayed 758 votes. It was then that it came to light that the presiding officer had not cleared the mock polls.
Teeka Ram Meena told the media that enquiry in the matter will be conducted after the repolling.
Kalamassery Assembly constituency, where booth number 83 was located, falls under the Ernakulam Lok Sabha Constituency. The constituency witnessed a tight battle between LDF candidate P Rajeev, UDF’s Hibi Eden, who is also the MLA of Ernakulam Assembly constituency, as well as Alphons Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State and the NDA candidate.
There were 171 polling booths in Kalamassery Assembly segment alone. The segment has a total of 1.8 lakh voters. Kalamassery also recorded 80.13 percent of voter turnout in the polling held on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the constituency recorded a total polling percentage of 77.54.
After Paravur, an Assembly segment in Ernakulam that recorded 81.68 percent polling, Kalamassery has the second highest voter turnout. Out of the seven Assembly segments, Ernakulam Assembly constituency saw the least polling (73.28 percent).