Bengal poll panel chief quits

West Bengal State Election Commissioner Sushanta Ranjan Upadhyay resigned while the election commission released a list of 16 booths across the municipalities of Bidhannagar, Asansol and Bally where re-polling will take place on Thursday.

Upadhyay sent his resignation letter to state Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi.Tripathi later told reporters that he has accepted Upadhyay’s resignation and will forward it to the state government. West Bengal State Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay has resigned.

Upadhyay, who seemed to have taken on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) when he announced on Sunday that counting of votes will be put on hold, came under severe criticism from different quarters after he took a U-turn late on Monday evening.  Sources said while TMC councillors and MLAs sat on a demonstration outside his office protesting against his decision to withhold the counting, things changed as three senior state ministers met him for an hour-long talk in his office.