EC not ready for recounting of votes in Nandigram, suggests Trinamool to approach HC

The Nandigram controversy came to the fore after Banerjee claimed on Monday that the RO of the Assembly constituency in East Medinipur district had turned down Trinamool's demand for recounting of votes after Adhikari was declared the winner because his life was ‘under threat'. Nandigram witnessed a cliff-hanger between Banerjee and her one-time aide Adhikari before the latter was declared the winner by a slender margin of 1,956 votes following several twists and turns.

New Delhi:Following Trinamool Congress' demand for recounting of votes in the Nandigram Assembly constituency in West Bengal where Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee suffered a close defeat against her one-time aide Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, the Election Commission on Tuesday clarified that the "only legal remedy is to file an EP (Execution Petition) before the High Court".

After the declaration of Assembly election results on Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had approached state Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab demanding recounting of votes in Nandigram, following the Returning Officer's decision to not allow the same.

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The EC on Tuesday made it clear that the Returning Officer (RO) of an Assembly constituency performs statutory functions under the RP Act, 1951 in "quasi-judicial" capacity independently.

The commission said that the RO takes a decision that can only be challenged through an election petition under Section 80 of the RP Act, 1951.

The poll panel said that after the counting in Nandigram, the polling agent of a particular candidate (Mamata Banerjee) had requested for recounting, which was rejected by the RO.

"...In such a case, the only legal remedy is to file an EP before the High Court," the EC said.

The poll panel said that in this regard, the Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal has made available a copy of the order of the RO and other relevant materials related to counting, while the General Observer for the Assembly constituency has also furnished a report in the matter.

The EC further said that the election-related officials on the ground perform in an extremely competitive political environment with full transparency and fairness, and therefore attribution of any motive in such cases is not desirable.

On the other hand, making it clear that the Returning Officer's (RO) decision regarding recounting of votes is final, the Election Commission of India has asked the West Bengal government to provide adequate security to the RO of Nandigram, where BJPs Suvendu Adhikari pulled off a thrilling win over Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee by a slim margin of 1,956 votes.

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The state government, on its part, has informed the poll panel that it has complied with the latter's direction.

Based on media reports on undue pressure on the RO of Nandigram, the Commission directed the Chief Secretary West Bengal to provide adequate security to him, which the state government has now provided.

The sources said the RO was provided security in person and at his home on the directions of the Election Commission amid reports that he was under pressure while performing his duty.

The state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has already been directed to ensure the safe custody of all election records, including polled EVMs and VVPAT machines, video recordings, and counting records strictly following the laid down guidelines.

The CEO will also coordinate with the state government for additional security measures at such locations if needed.

(with agency inputs)

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