West Bengal Assembly Repoll Sees Over 16% Turnout in Initial Hours
Voting Commences in West Bengal's Repoll
File image of people queuing to cast their votes for West Bengal assembly polls 2026. (Photo: IANS)
Kolkata, May 2: In the initial two hours of repolling across 15 booths in two assembly constituencies of South 24 Parganas district, voter turnout exceeded 16% on Saturday.
Polling proceeded smoothly at 11 stations in the Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the Election Commission mandated a repoll following reports of electoral misconduct.
Voting commenced at 7 am and is set to continue until 6 pm. By 9 am, approximately 16.23% of voters had cast their ballots.
Specifically, Magrahat Paschim recorded a turnout of 16.68%, while Diamond Harbour saw 15.83%, according to a poll official.
"Polling has been conducted peacefully, with no incidents of violence reported in either constituency," stated an official from the Election Commission.
"We have deployed sufficient central forces in both areas, and webcasting is in effect to monitor the process," he added.
The repoll was ordered after receiving reports from returning officers and observers regarding significant issues, as noted by the Election Commission official.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is competing against BJP's Goursundar Ghosh, with Congress's Abdul Majid Halder and ISF's Abdul Aziz Al Hassan also in the race.
In Diamond Harbour, TMC's Panna Lal Halder faces off against BJP's Dipak Kumar Halder, with Goutam Bhattacharya from Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya among the other candidates.
The BJP has raised concerns about widespread electoral irregularities in specific polling stations within these assembly seats, which fall under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, represented by TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
To investigate these claims, the Election Commission has appointed special observer Subrata Gupta to assess the situation on-site.
Additionally, the Election Commission is expected to make a decision regarding repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections took place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, under extensive security measures.
Vote counting is scheduled for May 4.