West Bengal Elections: Re-Polling Announced Amidst Tensions and Allegations
Re-Polling Decision in West Bengal
Kolkata: The Election Commission of India has declared that re-polling will take place at 15 polling booths across two Assembly constituencies, namely Magrahat (Paschim) and Diamond Harbour, located in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Out of the 15 booths designated for re-polling, 11 are situated in Magrahat (Paschim) while the remaining 4 are in Diamond Harbour. These constituencies participated in the second phase of the Assembly elections held on April 29.
The Election Commission's announcement on Friday afternoon indicated that the decision for re-polling stemmed from reports submitted by returning officers and general observers, which highlighted significant electoral irregularities on the day of voting.
Additionally, sources from the Chief Electoral Officer's office suggested that re-polling might also occur in approximately 30 polling booths within the Falta Assembly constituency, also part of the Diamond Harbour subdivision.
The Election Commission initiated a comprehensive investigation following complaints regarding the Electronic Voting Machine buttons linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in Falta. Instead of relying solely on the returning officers and general observers, the inquiry was led by a special observer appointed by the Election Commission, Subrat Gupta.
Gupta arrived in Falta on Thursday morning and conducted an extensive ground inspection, ultimately confirming the need for re-polling in 30 booths.
Previously, the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party had called for re-polling across the entire Falta constituency.
Tensions had already been high in Falta prior to the elections on April 29, particularly due to disputes involving the Election Commission's special police observer for the Diamond Harbour subdivision, Ajay Paul Sharma, and the Trinamool Congress candidate, Jahangir Khan.
Reports of sporadic electoral violence emerged on polling day, and tensions continued to escalate on Friday with clashes reported between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.