After 21 rounds of counting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee secured 84,709 of the total 1,17,875 votes, securing more than 71 per cent of the total votes polled while Tibrewal secured 26,350 votes, little more than 22 per cent of the votes. CPI(M) candidate Shreejib Biwas managed to get only 4,201 votes.
Neither the Trinamul nor the Left can afford to overlook the fact that sizeable pockets of BJP influence have cropped up in Bhawanipore over the past few years. Only an overwhelming verdict in Miss Banerjee's favour can again make it her pocket borough.
“The law and order situation in the area is not conducive to holding by-poll. If an MP can be attacked, then imagine the situation common voters are facing. I demand postponement of polling till the situation normalises in Bhawanipore...till the time its conducive for holding a free and fair election,”
The court wanted to know from the poll panel why by-election was only allowed in Bhabanipur, and why did the commission think that if by-election is not held there immediately, it would lead to a constitutional crisis.
The advocate representing the EC sought a short adjournment to file an affidavit regarding the contents of two paragraphs of the notification issued for the election, in view of the arguments raised by Bikash Bhattacharya, the senior counsel for the petitioner.
What led to the outbreak of the criticism was the notification by the EC which said that while the Commission has decided not to hold by-polls in other 31 assembly constituencies in the country, it would do so only for Bhabanipur AC, considering a "special request" from the West Bengal government.
