BHUBANESWAR: Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar on Saturday recommended fresh polls in 12 booths in eight Assembly segments in the State where voting was affected due to violence, glitches in EVMs and other reasons during third phase elections on April 23.
Repolling has been recommended at booth no 62 and 222 of Brahmagiri Assembly segment and booth no 78 of Satyabadi Assembly segment, booth no 196 of Baramba Assembly segment, booth no 183 of Deogarh Assembly segment, booth no 85 of Talcher Assembly segment, booth no 90, 100, 137 and 138 of Athagarh Assembly segment, booth number 127 of Bhubaneswar Central Assembly segment and booth no 171 of Ghasipura Assembly segment.
While voting was affected in nine booths due to glitches and cross-pairing of EVMs, repolling in booth no 62 in Satyabadi Assembly segment was recommended after it was found that the control unit of EVM of the booth had been kept inside a strong room other than the designated one.
Repolling in booth no 222 in Brahmagiri and booth no 78 in Satyabadi was recommended following reports of violence in which the EVMs were damaged. As per reports, some miscreants vandalised EVMs at booth no 222 in Kamasasan village under Brahmagiri Assembly constituency and two EVMs at booth no 78 of Birakesharipur in Satyabadi while the polling was underway.
In Satyabadi Assembly segment police has asked BJP candidate Omprakash Mishra to surrender before the police for his alleged involvement in the violation and vandalism inside booth 78.
As per allegations Mishra along with his followers had barged into the booth and disrupted the election process, threatened poll officials, destroyed the EVM and brandished a weapon.