Uttarakhand bypoll: Repoll ordered at booth from Chief Minister Harish Rawat's constituency

A day after bypolls were held for three Assembly seats in Uttarakhand, repoll was ordered today at a booth of Dharchula constituency from where Chief Minister Harish Rawat is contesting.

Repoll was ordered at Bauna booth of Dharchula following complaints that the presiding officer along with his team left the booth while the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were still on, Uttarakhand's Chief Election Officer Radha Raturi said.

As per Election Commission guidelines, the presiding officer cannot leave a booth without switching off the EVMs, she said, adding that the repoll will be held tomorrow. 

The booth is located in the interior of Pithoragarh district.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Bhatt said order of a repoll at the booth substantiates his charge of massive rigging by the ruling party in Dharchula seat to ensure the Chief Minister's victory.

However, the ruling Congress rubbished the charges of rigging levelled by the BJP saying the opposition is frustrated in the face of imminent defeat.

"The BJP is levelling unfounded allegations against the Congress out of sheer frustration as it can foresee its defeat," CM's media in-charge Surendra Kumar said.