Repolling underway in 15 booths of South 24 Parganas under Section 58(2) of RP Act

Repolling is underway in parts of West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district on Thursday, following complaints of irregularities during the second phase of Assembly elections held on April 29.

Repolling across 15 booths

Voting is being conducted in 15 polling stations across two Assembly constituencies. Of these, 11 booths are in Magarhat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbour. Polling began at 7 am and is scheduled to continue till 6 pm.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed the development, stating, "ECI announced Re-poll in 15 Polling Stations across 2 Assembly Constituencies of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal".

The decision to order a repoll was based on reports submitted by returning officers and observers, along with what the Commission described as “material circumstances” and the repoll has been ordered under Section 58(2), RP Act, 1951.

Complaints and review process

According to reports, the poll body received 29 complaints seeking repolling from Diamond Harbour and 13 from Magarhat. Repolling is typically considered in cases involving issues such as EVM malfunction, alleged booth capturing, intimidation, or violation of voting secrecy.

A decision on repolling in the Falta Constituency under Diamond Harbour is still pending, with officials awaiting a detailed report, per an NDTV report.

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Political reactions

The BJP had alleged irregularities in several polling stations within the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha Constituency. The Election Commission had earlier deputed a special observer, Subrata Gupta, to assess the situation on the ground.

Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh responded by saying the BJP’s demand for repolling stems from electoral concerns. "The mandate is against the BJP, and it will remain the same," Ghosh said, per NDTV.

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Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, however, reiterated the BJP’s stance, alleging “malpractices in several booths” to “favour” the ruling party. "We are happy with the repoll decision of the poll body," he said.

High voter turnout recorded

The repoll comes after the conclusion of two phases of voting in the state, which recorded a high turnout. The Election Commission reported an overall participation of around 92 per cent.

Phase 1, held on April 23, saw a turnout of 93.19 per cent, while Phase 2 recorded 91.66 per cent participation. This marks a notable increase compared to previous elections, including the 2011 polls, which had recorded around 84 per cent turnout.