With West Bengal approaching the crucial May 4 result day, fresh developments around repolling and election-related complaints have kept the political atmosphere tense. The high-stakes contest, largely between the TMC and the BJP, has been marked by continuous allegations and counter-allegations across polling phases.
Repolling was conducted at 15 polling stations across Magrahat Paschim and Diamond Harbour constituencies in the South 24 Parganas district. Voting began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm, recording a strong voter turnout.
By 5 pm, turnout stood at 86.9 per cent overall. According to an official from the Election Commission of India, “Repolls were held in a very peaceful manner. Till 5 pm, the voter turnout in Magrahat Paschim was 86.1%, and in Diamond Harbour it was 87.6%.”
The repoll was ordered after complaints of alleged tampering with Electronic Voting Machines during the second phase. Officials confirmed receiving at least 77 such complaints from multiple constituencies.
Complaints trigger wider scrutiny
The complaints were spread across several areas, with Falta reporting the highest number. “While 32 came from Falta, 13 were received from Magrahat, 29 were received from Diamond Harbour, and three were received from Budge Budge,” the official added.
The BJP demanded repolling and accused the ruling TMC of involvement in the alleged irregularities. All four constituencies where complaints emerged are known strongholds of the TMC.
Repoll ordered across entire Falta constituency
In a significant move, the poll body has directed repolling at all 285 polling stations in the Falta constituency on May 21. The decision was taken citing concerns over the integrity of the polling process.
Officials noted multiple issues during scrutiny. “The Special Observer and the District Election Officer observed that there were sufficient grounds to conclude that the poll process in several polling stations in Falta was vitiated due to the alleged application of black tape and perfume on ballot units. In multiple booths, the video feeds were found to be broken. There were large gaps in the video footage. Unauthorised persons could be seen entering the voting compartments, and ballot units of the EVMs were found to be tampered,” an EC official told Hindustan Times.
Voting will be conducted under tight security from 7 am to 6 pm, with counting scheduled for May 24.
Counting day takes centre stage
Attention now shifts to May 4, when votes will be counted not only in West Bengal but also in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. Counting is expected to begin around 8 am, starting with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
While exit polls have projected gains for the BJP, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has dismissed these predictions, asserting that the TMC will secure at least 226 seats in the 294-member assembly.
With tensions running high and stakes even higher, the outcome of the counting day is expected to be closely watched across the country.
