The Centre on Wednesday asked the West Bengal government to send another detailed report on the violence that broke out during the panchayat election on Monday.

The home ministry said the first report that the state had sent was “sketchy”, PTI reported quoting unidentified officials. The state government has been asked told to provide details on the circumstances that led to the violence and the steps taken to restore peace and bring the perpetrators to book. At least 24 people were killed in violence during and after the elections.

Advertisement

This comes on a day when repolling was held in 572 booths across 19 districts. “Initially, we had earmarked 568 booths but later on increased it to 572 booths,” said a State Election Commission official. A total of 68% voter turnout was recorded and the repolling was more or less peaceful, he added. Votes will be counted on Thursday.

One person was shot dead in Goalpokhar in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on Wednesday. There were also reports of violence from Malda’s Ratua, Uttar Dinajpur’s Raiganj, and from Amdanga in North 24 Parganas district.

The opposition protested against the selection of booths for the repolling. “The SEC did not order repoll in those booths where we saw the TMC letting loose a reign of terror,” Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s leader Sujan Chakraborty said.” Repolling has been ordered in those booths where TMC candidates might lose the polls.”

Advertisement

The BJP said they had demanded repolling at 2,300 booths across the state. “In today’s repoll too there were incidents of violence and in few places police acted swiftly,” said state BJP president Dilip Ghosh.

The ruling Trinamool Congress said the repolling was conducted in a “free and fair” manner. “The people have voted freely and fairly,” TMC General Secretary Partha Chatterjee told PTI. “The opposition does not have any base. They just wanted to create trouble to score some political brownie points.”