Officials to set up 2 ballot units at polling stns

Raiganj: Election officials of No 5. Raiganj Parliamentary constituency will have to set up two ballot units in each polling station of the constituency as the total number of candidates taking part in the polls is 20 contesting in the Raiganj seat. Raiganj goes to polls in the second phase on April 26.

The 20 candidates contesting from Raiganj include 10 Independent — Kalidas Murmu, Ali Imran, Palash Chandra Mahato, Md Abrahim Hoque, Md Nazir Akhtar, Anwarul Hoque, Dwarika Nath Barman, Fakir MD, Rupak Roy and Sharannya Dutta.

The candidates contesting from different political parties are Krishna Kalyani (AITMC), Kartick Chandra Paul (BJP), Ali Imran Ramz (INC), Swapan Kumar Das (Bahujan Samaj Party), Sanatan Dutta (Socialist Unity Centre of India), Ramesh Chandra Sinha (Bhumiputra United Party), Durga Murmu (Ambedkarite Party of India), Tapan Barman (Jai Prakash Janta Dal), Sahidul Rahaman (North Bengal’s People’s Party) and Al Monowara Begum (Indian Manus Party).

Around 1789107 voters will cast their votes at 1730 polling stations of Raiganj Parliamentary constituency. Election officials of Raiganj Parliamentary constituency informed that a ballot unit of the EVM can include up to 16 candidates.

As total candidates are 20 so each polling station will have two ballot units instead of one. SD Sherpa, officer in-charge of Election of North Dinajpur district, said: “A total of 3460 ballot units will be installed in 1730 polling stations as the number of contesting candidates are 20.”