Repolling is underway in 15 polling stations in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Saturday, following directions 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.
According to the Commission, repolling is being conducted at 11 booths in the Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency and four booths in the Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency. Voting is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.
In a communication to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the EC stated that the decision was based on inputs received from the state poll machinery, which flagged irregularities at certain booths.
The move has triggered sharp political reactions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the decision but demanded repolling at more booths across the affected constituencies. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, blamed the BJP for the incidents, calling it a strategy to “defame” the state.
The controversy stems from allegations made by BJP co-incharge for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, who claimed that voters were prevented from choosing the party candidate at several booths in Falta under Diamond Harbour during the second phase of polling.
Commenting on the issue, 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… people voted fearlessly… so a big change is going to happen in Bengal.”
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal had clarified that any verified instance of EVM button tampering would lead to repolling. “If reports of taping of any button come in, that should be verified and noted. If true, those booths will go for a repoll,” he said.
Meanwhile, political rhetoric has intensified. RLD leader Malook Nagar alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was “afraid of losing” based on exit poll trends and recent political actions.
Ahead of the repoll, Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta confirmed that security deployment would remain at the same scale but with heightened vigilance. “The deployment will be at the same scale, but with more attention,” he said, adding that a detailed report had already been submitted to the Commission.
The second phase of polling concluded on April 29 with voter turnout touching around 90 percent before closing. Security has been tightened at strong rooms in Howrah ahead of counting scheduled for May 4.
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