The Election Commission (EC) has ordered a repoll at 11 polling stations in 142-Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and 4 polling stations in 143-Diamond Harbour assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal
The polling will be held on Saturday, May 2, from 7 AM to 6 PM.
Voting at these booths was held on April 29 during the second phase of the West Bengal assembly election, but the EC has declared the poll void under Section 58(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
According to the EC's order, the polls at the affected booths were declared void based on reports from Returning Officers (ROs) and Observers.
HT has learnt that a report from the Falta constituency is still awaited.
This is the first time that repolling has been ordered in the present set of assembly polls in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
No repolling was recommended in the first phase of the West Bengal polls held on April 23.
The EC had received demands for repolling in 77 booths across four Assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas district after the second phase of the elections.
{{/usCountry}}The EC had received demands for repolling in 77 booths across four Assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas district after the second phase of the elections.
{{/usCountry}}The complaints alleged that buttons on electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Falta, Magrahat, Diamond Harbour and Budge Budge constituencies were marked with black tape, adhesive substances, ink, and even perfume.
It is not immediately clear whether the repolling will also take place at the remaining 62 booths.
Where has the repolling been ordered?
Here is the full list of booths where the repoll has been ordered:
Magrahat Paschim
46 – Uttar Yearpur F.P. School, Room No. 2
126 – Najra F.P. School, Room No. 1
127 – Najra F.P. School, Room No. 2
128 – Deula F.P. School, Room No. 1
142 – Ghola Noyapara Girls' High Madrasha, Room No. 2
214 – Ektara Malaya F.P. School, Room No. 1
215 – Ektara Malaya F.P. School, Room No. 2
216 – Ektara Malaya Dhora F.P. School, Room No. 1
230 – Bahirpuya Kurkuriya F.P. School, Room No. 1
231 – Bahirpuya Kurkuriya F.P. School, Room No. 2
232 – Bahirpuya Kurkuriya F.P. School, Room No. 3
Diamond Harbour
117 – Bagda Junior High School
179 – Chanda F.P. School, Room No. 2
194 – Haridevpur F.P. School
243 – Roynagar F.P. School (Room No. 2)
How the BJP reacted
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari reacted to repolling at 15 polling stations, saying it should be held at many more booths.
“Repolling should have been conducted in more booths. At present, it is limited to only a few booths, whereas in the Falta segment alone, it should have been held in at least 60 booths... It appears the authorities are still considering the matter. There is a proper procedure; they review CCTV footage, observer reports, and the presiding officer’s records. Based on this system, decisions are taken. We respect the Election Commission fully and do not speak in the manner that Mamata Banerjee does,” he told reporters.