Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday ordered repolling in 15 polling stations in Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituencies.
Repolling will take place on Saturday, from 7 am to 6 pm, in 11 booths of Magrahat Paschim and 4 booths in Diamond Harbour.
All these booths fall under West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district.
At least 30 more booths in Falta constituency may also see repolling. According to some sources, polling in the entire constituency may be declared void under Section 58(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. ECI is learnt to be reviewing multiple complaints, and a decision is expected on Friday night or Saturday.
The poll body’s repolling decision was taken after video clips surfaced, showing EVM buttons being tampered with using tape in some constituencies.
Complaints were filed by voters and political parties, alleging EVM tampering, booth jamming and rigging in these booths.
Voting at the repoll-bound booths took place on April 29, the second and last phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
West Bengal saw record voting of 92%-plus overall in the two phases. Though no major violence was reported on April 23 and April 29, the second phase was marked by chaos and political controversy.
Tensions escalated and tempers flared in Falta, where the controversial Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Jahangir Khan is in the fray.
BJP leaders circulated videos showing tape placed near the names of BJP and CPM candidates on EVM panels, triggering concerns over blocked voting options at several booths.
According to West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal, repolling will be ordered wherever such violations are confirmed.
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