AGARTALA, May 9 - The Supreme Court has declined to allow an urgent hearing on a writ petition challenging Election Commission�s decision of holding re-poll in 168 polling booths of West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.
In the petition, the sitting MP and Left Front candidate Sankar Prasad Datta has sought the apex court�s directive for fresh voting in West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency due to large scale malpractices on polling day on April 11.
�Around 50 per cent of the voters could not cast their votes due to large scale rigging, booth capturing and terror unleashed by the ruling party cadres�, he said in the plea.
A counsel representing the sitting MP on Thursday sought a special hearing on the plea. However, Chief Justice of India Rajan Gogoi rejected to give an urgent hearing on the petition as the court finds no urgency in the petition and remarked � �It will be listed as usual�.
Since, summer vacation starts from Friday the plea is most likely to be heard in the vacation court later on, said a senior CPI (M) leader here.
However, the Left Front would contest the repoll in 168 booths of West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency to be held on May 12.
Left Front convenor Bijan Dhar said, �We expressed our disappointment over the decision of EC to hold re-polls only in 168 booths among the total 1,679 booths, whereas the entire polling on April 11 was a total farce as the ruling party with help of their supporters carried out mass rigging and large-scale violence.
�Considering the present situation, we have decided to continue the agitation demanding fresh polls in the seat�, he said when contacted.
Later in the day, Abhijit Manu Singhvi of Congress also filed a writ petition seeking the apex court�s intervention for ordering re-poll in 433 polling stations of West Tripura Lok Sabha seat. But, the SC once again turned down the Congress petition to give an urgent hearing citing it doesn�t merit extra importance. It means, the Congress petition will also be heard in the vacation bench of the apex court.
