Repolling has begun at 15 polling stations in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, following instructions from the Election Commission of India (ECI) after reports of alleged tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the second phase of Assembly elections held on April 29.
The Commission stated that repolling is being conducted at 11 booths in the Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency and four booths in the Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the Election Commission noted that the repolling order was based on inputs from the state election officials. Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm today.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the Commission’s decision and suggested that polling should be conducted at more booths in the two assembly segments. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP of causing the incidents that led to the repolling, calling it a devious strategy to “defame” the state.
The repolling followed allegations by BJP’s West Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya that voters were prevented from choosing the party’s candidate at several polling booths in Falta under Diamond Harbour constituency during the second phase of the elections.
Regarding the repolling, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “Despite so much strictness there, black tape was pasted on the lotus button. People did not even complain, and information about this was received in the afternoon. TMC has been doing a lot of irregularities, but this time the central force and the Election Commission were strict, due to which I can say that this time the elections were conducted fairly, people voted, they voted fearlessly, this is a big thing, so a big change is going to happen in Bengal.”
On the day of polling, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that polling booths where any EVM button had tape applied would undergo repolling following BJP’s allegations of irregularities in Falta.
He explained, “If reports of taping of any button come in, that should be verified and noted. If true, those booths will go for a repoll.”
Separately, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Malook Nagar commented on West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate Mamata Banerjee, saying she is afraid of losing according to exit poll trends.
Nagar stated, “Mamata Banerjee and TMC party if they say that state officials should be in the count and people of the country’s government should not be in the count. She loses in the Supreme Court and goes to the Supreme Court again, this clearly proves that she had spread a web of the state government, had made a plan on how to commit a scam… maybe she is afraid of losing, from all the exit poll results that are coming, she feels that she is afraid of losing, from all her actions it seems that she has accepted defeat.”
The final phase of polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on April 29, with voter turnout reaching around 90% before closing. Security measures remain in place at strong rooms in Howrah ahead of the vote count scheduled for May 4.