Recount adds 11 more seats for SDF

TT; Gangtok, Nov. 7: The Sikkim Democratic Front has won 11 of the 13 gram panchayat wards, results to which were withheld on Monday and a recounting done today. The results for the 13 East Sikkim wards were not declared as there was a clerical error in the counting. Two wards were bagged by Independents. The recounting was ordered by the state election commission, which rejected the East Sikkim collector’s request for repolls. The two wards bagged by the Independents are Tindharey-Kali Khola in East Pendam panchayat and Naya Busty in Chalamthanj Pacheykhani panchayat. 

. “There will be no repoll in the 13 wards since the state election commission has rejected the request. The commission had directed us to recount the votes registered in the electronic voting machines in the presence of candidates and declare the results immediately,” said East district collector D. Anandan. The results of the 13 wards were withheld on Monday, as the votes secured by each candidate had been marked erroneously against the names of his/her rivals.

 All the 13 wards had two contestants each — SDF nominees and Independents. “The commission thoroughly examined the collector’s report and found there was only a simple mistake while the results were transferred from the EVMs to the result sheets. As the EVMs hadn’t been tampered with, there was no sufficient ground to order repolls,” said state election commissioner S.K. Gautam. However, some of the candidates said they would write a letter to the state election commission and request re-polls.