Chandigarh:Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday claimed to have made elaborated arrangements to conduct re-polling at all 48 polling stations in five assembly constituencies on Thursday. The re-polling was ordered at theses polling station on Tuesday due to malfunctioning of the Electronic Voting Machines and Voter-Verified Audit Paper Trail (VVPAT) during Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections held on February 4.

It is also learnt that votes, polled during mock-polling, were not deleted from the machines which forced the authorities to take the decision of re-polling to avoid post election litigation.

Of the 48 polling stations where re-polling has ordered, 16 fall in Amritsar Parliamentary constituency witnessing by-poll. A total 12 polling stations are in Majitha assembly constituency, one each in Moga and Sardulgarh, nine each in Muktsar and Sangrur.

According to EC, out of 24,697 ballot units and 24,256 control units used in election process, 180 ballot units and 184 control units had failed in these places.

The polling hours would be from 8 am to 5 pm. The voters who will queue up till 5 pm at the polling stations could cast their votes.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V K Singh has already instructed all concerned Returning Officers and Observers to act accordingly. The political parties and the contesting candidates have also been intimated about the re-poll as per the directions of Election Commission of India.

The CEO said that necessary arrangements have been made and election material, EVMs, security and poll staff in adequate numbers have been deputed for the job.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had apprehended rigging at some other polling stations. Party’s state convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi had demanded re-polling on certain other polling stations. He, however, commended the Election Commission for taking the decision.

All other political parties including Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party and their leaders have thanked the Election Commission for ordering re-poll, but they had not sought it.

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