All eyes on Bhabanipur as counting of votes begins in 3 Bengal assembly seats
Kolkata(PTI): Counting of votes for the Bhabanipur bypoll as well as Jangipur and Samserganj assembly elections in West Bengal began at 8 am on Sunday amid tight security, an official said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the assembly elections from Nandigram earlier this year, is up against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur in south Kolkata.
She will have to get elected to the assembly to retain the CM's chair.
The Election Commission has made arrangements for a three-tier security at the counting centre set up at Sakhawat Memorial Girls High School in Bhabanipur, where 24 companies of central forces have also been deployed.
Eight CCTV cameras have been fitted at the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed within 200 metre radius of the counting centres at all three constituencies that went to the polls on September 30.
Candidates and their agents, who have received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues, the Election Commission official said.
All officials and agents have been asked to abide by COVID-19 protocols, he said.
State minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who won the assembly election from Bhabanipur in south Kolkata, vacated it shortly after results were declared in May, paving the way for the by-election so that Banerjee could fight it.
Polls were countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in the Murshidabad district, following the death of one candidate each. Over 57 per cent polling was registered in Bhabanipur.
A high voting rate at 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur, respectively.
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Vijay unable to prove majority, not invited for CM oath ceremony: Sources
Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.
According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.
Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.
Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.
Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.
