Majhdia, May 18: Independent candidate of Nadia’s Shibniwas gram panchayat Niladri Sukul was announced winner late on Thursday evening as the counting process was temporarily stalled by the state election commission following a group of Trinamul activists had created pandemonium allegedly raiding a counting centre at Majhdia forced out the polling officials and counting agents, stamped the ballots to nullify the votes cast in favour of him.
Nadia District Election Officer and District Magistrate Sumit Gupta claimed that that incident of alleged stamping did not make any impact on the counting and as the process was near to completion when the incident actually occurred.
“We took time to examine everything following the incident and handed over the certificate to winning candidate last evening”, Sumit Gupta said.
“Counting was actually over when the incident occurred. Most probably the youth had managed some ballots from the bunches after the counting was over and he stamped those ballots with the cross mark. The ballots for the seat were already counted and identified. The winner was also decided. The pandemonium was created inside room No.6 after everything was settled. Some ballots were damaged in the incident. But, it did not make any impact on the result because everything was decided by then. So we awarded winning certificates to the independent candidate and to a BJP candidate for another table”, Gupta said.
“Counting was actually over when the incident occurred…. it did not make any impact on the result because everything was decided by then”. – Sumit Gupta, DEO & DM, Nadia
After tallying the results sheets Sukul was announced winner defeating his Trinamul rival Partha Ghosh by 270 votes. For another seat of the same gram panchayat BJP’s Sujit Kumar Ghosh was declared winner, whose votes were also being counted in the same room (No.6).
Sukul’s rival Partha Ghosh was, however, arrested by the police along with Saheb Ghosh, who allegedly beaten up Sukul before storming inside the fenced counting table and stamped ballot papers which were already casted in his favor
Partha and Saheb, a resident of Krishnapur, were produced before a court in Krishnanagar today which ordered 14 days jail custody for them.
Superintendent of police Santosh Pandey said, “The duo has been arrested last evening and charged for disobedience of government order, mischief causing damage and for violating electoral process”.
Victorious candidate Niladri Sukul said, “I am thankful to the administration that it ultimately acted well and took legal steps against the offenders who tried to make the counting a fun”.