SILCHAR, Oct 21 - Polling for the by-election at Ratabari (SC) Assembly seat under Karimganj district was held peacefully on Monday.
According to Deputy Commissioner Anbamuthan MP, 74.37 per cent voting was registered till 5 pm across the 202 polling stations. The DC also informed that even as there were reports of VVPAT malfunction at some polling stations, the problems were swiftly addressed and voting continued smoothly. Anbamuthan informed that the all-women polling station at 71 Ramkrishna Bidyapeeth had performed excellently. He maintained that he had visited most of the polling stations and there were no untoward instances reported.
Meanwhile, even as there were no reports of any major chaos during the voting hours, towards the fag end of the polling, North Karimganj MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purakayastha alleged that the BJP engaged goons at some of the polling stations with the intention of rigging. �Because the party senses certain defeat, it resorted to rigging by roping in foul players,� the legislator alleged.
Countering the charges, Patherkandi MLA Krishnendu Paul said that the Congress party is used to such practices of vote rigging and hence they are making baseless allegations. Karimganj MP Kripanath Mallah asserted that with people coming out to vote so enthusiastically, BJP should be able to win the seat by a margin of at least 50,000 votes.
