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Repolling in some Bengal booths on May 2? EC shares big update ahead of results day
The Election Commission of India said potential repolling in select West Bengal booths could be held on May 2 or 3 after scrutiny of complaints.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said repolling in select booths of West Bengal, if required, is likely to be held on May 2 or May 3, as scrutiny of polling station-wise reports and complaints continues across districts.
Chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said the poll panel was examining reports submitted by returning officers, district election officers and observers to determine whether repolls were warranted. “Scrutiny of polling station-wise data and reports… are going on to check whether repolls need to be held in any booth. Repolls, if any, would be held on May 2 or May 3,” he said.
The development comes after the second phase of polling on April 29, which covered 142 assembly constituencies across nearly 41,000 polling stations. The first phase, held on April 23 across around 44,370 polling stations in 152 constituencies, did not see any repolling.
According to EC sources, more than 3,500 complaints have been received across phases, including allegations of booth jamming, intimidation of polling agents and EVM tampering. Of these, at least 77 complaints related to alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from four constituencies in South 24 Parganas — Falta (32), Diamond Harbour (29), Magrahat (13) and Budge Budge (3).
Officials said around 23 of these complaints were found prima facie valid, prompting the Commission to consider repolling in affected booths. “All complaints are being looked into,” an EC official said, adding that scrutiny has been completed in districts such as Nadia, Purba Bardhaman, Kolkata North and Kolkata South, where no repoll was deemed necessary. Examination is ongoing in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
In some cases, officials said, buttons on EVMs corresponding to particular political parties were allegedly covered with adhesive or blackened with ink, making them difficult to press. In others, substances like attar were reportedly applied to buttons to mark voters who selected certain options. There were also allegations of attempts to obstruct surveillance cameras and even claims of spy cameras being used to track voting choices in parts of Diamond Harbour.
EC conducts probe
The Commission has directed Special Observer Subrata Gupta to carry out on-ground inspections of the affected booths before a final decision is taken. Gupta is currently visiting locations and consulting with other observers, in what officials described as a more thorough verification process than usual.
Meanwhile, the ECI also released video footage addressing a politically charged controversy surrounding the death of an elderly voter during polling in Howrah’s Udaynarayanpur. The footage purportedly shows Purnachandra Dolui collapsing inside the polling station while casting his vote, contradicting allegations by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) that central armed police forces (CAPF) had manhandled him.
“There were no complaints of any manhandling. The DEO’s report stated that the man collapsed while casting his vote. If the man was pushed someone must have seen it. There were cameras installed,” Agarwal said.
The TMC had earlier alleged that the 80-year-old voter was pushed by central forces when his son tried to assist him inside the booth, leading to his collapse. The voter was later declared dead at a hospital. His son, Tarani Dolui, reiterated the allegation before the media, claiming both he and his father were pushed by security personnel.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had also accused central forces of acting as a “private army” of the BJP. However, BJP leader Rahul Sinha rejected the charge, accusing the ruling party of politicising the death. “An elderly citizen has died. TMC is doing what it usually does… It knows it is going to lose and hence making such allegations,” he said.
Separately, the Commission held a virtual meeting with senior state administration and police officials to review preparedness and prevent post-poll violence. Reports of clashes had emerged from Parnasree in Behala shortly after polling concluded on Wednesday.
