West Bengal Panchayat Election Results Live: Repolling was held in approximately 696 booths on Monday after at least 18 persons were killed in the July 8 votes due to rioting. Check back here for the most recent updates.
The counting of votes in West Bengal’s panchayat and rural elections has beginning amid strict security. The counting will take place in six stages. Since the date of the panchayat polls was announced early last month, over 33 persons have been slain in political conflicts across the state. On Saturday, 18 of these victims were slain while voting.
The three-tier panchayat elections were held on July 8 in over 61,000 booths, with an 80.71 percent voter turnout. Ballot boxes were looted, burned on fire, and thrown into ponds in various locations, sparking rioting. The level of violence on election day necessitated re-voting in approximately 696 stations. Over 5.6 crore people in rural Bengal were eligible to vote in the elections, which featured over 206,000 candidates competing for 73,887 seats.
Even on election day, there are rare incidences of violence in places like Diamond Harbour and Howrah district, with police resorting to lathi charges to disperse crowds attempting to storm the counting stations. There have also been reports of rudimentary bombs being thrown.