Voting will be held again on May 21 in Falta seat of West Bengal, Election Commission took a big decision after complaints of irregularities.

The Central Election Commission has canceled the voting in 144-Falta Assembly seat of West Bengal. This decision has been taken after allegations of serious irregularities in the electoral process and violation of democratic principles. The Commission has issued orders for re-polling in all 285 polling stations of this assembly constituency, including auxiliary booths.

As per the instructions of the Commission, re-polling will be conducted on 21 May 2026 from 7 am to 6 pm. After this, counting of all votes is scheduled on 24 May 2026. This step has been taken with the aim of ensuring transparency and fairness of the elections.

Complaints of serious irregularities at many booths in Falta

During the voting held on 29 April 2026 on Falta Assembly seat, complaints of serious irregularities were received at many booths. The investigation conducted by the Special Observer and the District Election Officer revealed huge irregularities at many polling stations. According to reports, videography of many booths was found to be either incomplete or completely unavailable. At some places, the fear of tampering with the records has also been expressed.

Investigation also revealed that several cases of voting by companions of voters were registered at many polling stations. Additionally, repeated entry of unauthorized persons into the polling booth and repeated entry of polling officials in violation of procedural rules were also observed.

Revealed that video footage was not available for hours at many booths

The report specifically highlights points that call into question the integrity of the electoral process. It is mentioned that video footage remained unavailable for hours at many booths. In some places, incidents of the same person entering the voting compartment multiple times were recorded. Similarly, cases of two persons being present in the polling booth at the same time also came to light. Serious allegations like polling agents themselves casting votes in place of voters are also included in the report. At some booths, no video recording was received from the start of voting till noon, making verification of the activities there impossible. In many cases no record of the presence of officers or the action taken by them was available, due to which the Action Taken Report was considered unreliable.

The report also indicates that allegations of voter intimidation and obstruction of voting could not be confirmed because no video footage of that period existed. Ultimately, the Special Observer and the District Election Officer concluded that the entire election process was affected at many polling stations. Allegations of alleged black tape or perfume being applied on the buttons of the ballot unit have further increased the seriousness of the matter, raising doubts over fair elections.