The Election Commission on Friday ordered repolling in 15 polling stations in Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim Assembly seats in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday. Polling will take place from 7 am to 6 pm at 11 booths in Magrahat Paschim and four booths in Diamond Harbour.
The repolling came after the BJP alleged that EVM buttons were found tampered with using tape in Falta, which is part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, a stronghold of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Complaints were filed by voters and political parties, alleging EVM tampering, booth jamming and rigging in these booths.
According to sources, 30 more booths in Falta constituency may also see repolling and a decision by the Election Commission is awaited.
Voting at the affected booths took place on April 29 during the second and last phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls, but the Election Commission has now declared the polling void under Section 58(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The provision allows the poll body to cancel polling at a booth and order a re-poll if voting is affected by serious irregularities, such as EVM malfunction, booth capturing, violence or procedural violations that could compromise the fairness of the election.
The second phase of polling was marked by chaos and political controversy, after the West Bengal BJP alleged that buttons linked to its candidates on EVMs were deliberately covered with tape to hide their names.
Tensions escalated in Falta, where an aide of Abhishek Banerjee, Jahangir Khan, had contested. BJP leaders circulated videos showing tape placed near the names of BJP and CPM candidates on EVM panels, triggering concerns over blocked voting options at several booths.
Amid the uproar, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal had said that re-polling would be ordered wherever such violations are confirmed, stressing the Election Commission’s “zero tolerance” approach toward electoral malpractice.
Agarwal said any decision on re-polling would follow a review of reports submitted by district election officers and poll observers regarding allegations of EVM tampering. Preliminary findings, he added, did not indicate mishandling of machines by polling officials during preparation or mock polls, suggesting the alleged interference may have occurred during voting hours.
Under EC guidelines, placing objects or applying substances such as tape, ink or perfume on EVM buttons is treated as a serious offence and may amount to tampering or interference with the voting process.
Meanwhile, voter turnout in the election reached 92.93 per cent across two phases – the highest recorded in West Bengal since Independence. Phase II registered 92.67 per cent turnout, while Phase I on April 23 saw a higher participation rate of 93.19 per cent.
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