Suvendu Adhikari Welcomes Magrahat Repolls, Seeks More in Falta

“Whatever happened in Magrahat West was welcomed. The re-voting should have been held in more booths, at least 60 booths, in Diamond Harbor and the entire Falta segment,” Adhikari, who is also a BJP candidate from Bhabanipur and Nandigram, told reporters on Friday.

The BJP leader’s statement came amid allegations of EVM tampering with allegations that the party symbol (lotus) was “covered with tape” in some polling booths in Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

When asked if a separate announcement could be made for Falta, he said the Election Commission was following due procedure. “They are thinking of something… They have observer reports, president’s handbook, CCTV footage. They have a system and they are doing it. I respect the Election Commission, not like Mamata Banerjee ji is doing,” he added.

While BJP leader and Kharagpur candidate Dilip Ghosh also welcomed the re-polls, he criticized the TMC for allegations of strong interference in the chamber. Ghosh told ANI: “Mamata Banerjee has reached a point of frustration… She needs to motivate her employees to go to the counting room otherwise her chances of winning may diminish. This clearly shows that she will lose.”

After the TMC approached the Supreme Court against the ECI’s decision banning the appointment of state officials as census auditors, Ghosh alleged that Mamata Banerjee was “creating chaos”. “If TMC is winning, why is it creating chaos? Now Mamata is fighting against powerful chambers and EVMs while people are fighting against her,” he said.

Re-voting is ongoing in 15 polling stations in South 24 Parganas district, including 11 in Magrahat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbor constituency. The Election Commission said the decision was based on inputs from the state poll machinery and voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.