Preparation on for polling in Lalgarh: poll official

September 24th, 2009 LALGARH - Two local leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were killed by suspected Maoists near Lalgarh. According to police, Maoists abducted Nemai Bishayi and Samir Singha Mahapatra late last night from a party meeting in Harimara village.

May 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Re-polling was underway Sunday in two polling booths in south Delhi's Chhattarpur area that had both recorded an unbelievable 98.5 percent voter turnout, officials said. 'In polling station numbers 64 and 64 A, the assistant returning officer told me that the voter turnout was 98.5 percent on Thursday.

May 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Re-polling in two booths in south Delhi's Chhattarpur area saw 65.42 percent voter turnout Sunday. The re-polling was ordered in the two booths after they recorded 98.5 percent turnout Thursday, the Election Commission said.

May 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Friday deputed six teams of two officers each to look into the complaints received during the polling in various parliamentary constituencies in Bihar. 'In view of the persistent complaints regarding some polling stations in different constituencies, the commission has decided to send today (Friday) the teams to visit Aurangabad, Saran, Jamui, Maharajganj, Jehanabad, Munger and Gaya and submit the feedback,' the poll panel said in a statement here.

May 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Election Commission Saturday ordered re-polling in 25 voting centres in Orissa, officials said. The polling will take place Tuesday from 7 a.m.

April 30th, 2009 UMARGAON - An entire village in Umargaon area of Valsad district in south Gujarat decided to boycott the polls Thursday, after they came to vote but discovered many mistakes in the voters' list, a poll official here said. The voters from Sajjan Bander village were irked by what they called 'innumerable mistakes' in the voters' list which created confusion when they reached the polling stations to cast their votes as polling began in Gujarat at 7 a.m.

April 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Re-balloting will be held on May 5 and May 9 in 145 polling stations in Bihar, where election was held April 16 in the first phase, the poll panel said Thursday. The Election Commission had ordered the re-poll in 145 voting stations in Bihar last week.

April 28th, 2009 RANCHI - At least 50 percent voters cast their ballot Tuesday in 116 booths where re-polling was ordered following defective or damaged electronic voting machines during the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha elections. The voting ended peacefully at the polling booths spread in all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the Leftist insurgency-hit state.

April 28th, 2009 RANCHI/NEW DELHI - At least 50 percent voters cast their ballot Tuesday in 116 polling stations of the Leftist insurgency-hit Jharkhand where re-polling was ordered following defective or damaged electronic voting machines during the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha elections. The voting ended peacefully at the polling booths spread in all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, Deputy Election Commissioner J.P.

April 23rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Protective sand bags, special search lights will be used and a large number of central forces deployed by the Election Commission for Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal's troubled Lalgarh, as an influential tribal group called for voting against the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). According to a tripartite agreement Wednesday among the Election Commission, the state government and the tribal body People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), elections for the 49 booths at Lalgarh block in West Midnapore district will be conducted in four villages - Baro Pelia, Choto Pelia, Dalilpurchawk and Khasjungle.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - The Election Commission Wednesday announced that the Lok Sabha poll in West Bengal's tribal-dominated Lalgarh would take place as scheduled on April 30. The decision was taken following a tripartite meeting between the poll panel, state government officials and the tribal organisation which was opposing the entry of the security forces into the troubled region to supervise the election.

April 15th, 2009 OTTAPALAM - P. Govinda Das, a 48-year-old poll official, died here Wednesday, just a day before the Lok Sabha polls, police said.

April 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - A meeting between the Election Commission officials and a top tribal leader Sunday on conducting Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal's troubled Lalgarh region ended without any breakthrough. However, the two sides said they will remain in touch to resolve the issue before the April 30 polling.

April 9th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - Gujarat has sought more paramilitary forces for poll duty, pointing out that the state has been on the terror map, an official said here Thursday. 'As of now, the central government has allotted 100 companies of paramilitary forces for poll duty in Gujarat against the state government's demand for 375 companies considering that Gujarat is a potential terrorist target,' the senior home department official told IANS.

April 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal government Monday said that it would carry out police action in tribal-dominated Lalgarh to flush out Maoist guerrillas before the Lok Sabha polls but the state chief electoral officer (CEO) called for dialogue to resolve the impasse. A day after the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), formed by the agitating tribals, threatened to put up mass resistance if the security forces tried to enter West Midnapore district's Lalgarh area, state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said the government was now working out the modalities of the police action.