Repolling Begins at 15 Booths in South 24 Parganas
Kolkata: Following allegations of tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the second phase of the Assembly elections held on April 29, re-polling is being held in 15 polling stations in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, in line with the instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to the commission, re-polling is being held in 11 booths in Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency and four booths in Diamond Harbor Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the EC said that the decision for re-polling was taken based on inputs from the state poll machinery and the polling was scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the EC’s decision and stated that the re-polling should be extended to more booths in the two assembly segments. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), on the other hand, blamed the BJP for the events that led to the re-election and termed it a strategy to “defame” the state.
The re-voting follows allegations by Amit Malviya, the joint in-charge of the BJP in West Bengal, that voters were prevented from choosing the party’s candidate in several polling stations in Falta in the Diamond Harbor constituency during the second phase of the elections.
Commenting on the issue, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “Despite stringent precautions, black tape was pasted on the lotus button. People did not complain initially and the information came out later in the day. TMC was involved in irregularities but this time the central powers and the Election Commission acted strictly. I can say that the elections were held fairly, people voted fearlessly and a major change is likely in Bengal.”
On the day of polling, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that any booth where tampering with the EVM button is confirmed will be subject to re-polling. “If reports come in of any button being pressed, this should be verified and noted. If true, these booths will be surveyed again,” he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate from Bhabanipur Mamata Banerjee, RLD leader Malook Nagar claimed that she is afraid of losing based on exit poll trends. He claimed that his actions showed that he had accepted defeat and accused him of trying to manipulate the system.
The final phase of voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections ended at 6 pm on April 29, with voter turnout reaching nearly 90% before the close. Security arrangements have been tightened in strong rooms in Howrah ahead of vote counting on May 4.
