Repolling at 4 booths in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul Lok Sabha seat on May 10

Bhopal: Repolling at four booths in Madhya Pradesh‘s Betul Lok Sabha seat will be held on Friday, an official said on Thursday. The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered re-election at the four booths after a few electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling personnel post-voting on caught fire on Tuesday night near Sonora Gaula village in Betul, the official said.

Repolling would be held from 7 am to 6 pm on Friday at the Government Integrated High School, Rajapur, Government Integrated High School, Raiyat, Government Primary School Kunda, Raiyat, and Government Integrated High School, Chikhlimal, the official said.

These booths come under Multai assembly segment of the Betul parliamentary seat.

The middle finger on left hand of voters will be inked during the repolling, the official said.

A dry day and holiday have been announced in the areas where repolling will be held, he said. Polling parties left on Thursday after collecting the necessary material from the Government Integrated Girls School at Betul Ganj to conduct the exercise, the official said. An estimated 72.65 per cent polling was recorded in the Betul Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, a poll official earlier said. Betul was among nine seats in Madhya Pradesh which voted in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Eight candidates are in the fray from Betul seat where BJP MP Durgadas Uikey is pitted against Ramu Tekam of the Congress.

The BJP has been winning the Betul seat since 1996.