Adhikari wins Nandigram battle, Didi may move court

NEW DELHI: The battle for Nandigram between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari went all the way to the wire, with both candidates leading several times during the day after individual rounds of counting. At 7.54pm, Adhikari tweeted from his official handle, claiming he had won by 1,736 votes. After the last (17th) round of counting, the TMC agent demanded a recount, but the returning officer turned it down. This prompted senior TMC leaders — Derek O’Brien, Firhad Hakim and Kalyan Banerjee — to meet CEO, demanding a recount.
Later, EC sources said there was no scope of even the poll panel questioning the result of the returning officer, under the Representation of People’s Act, 1951. The only way was to file an election petition in the high court. The EC’s website, updated around 11pm, declared Adhikari the winner by a margin of 1,956 votes.
Banerjee had earlier said she would “accept the verdict of people in Nandigram”, but also demanded a “review”, alleging “irregularities”. She also indicated she was mulling legal action.