EC Orders Ground Inspection As Repoll Demand Emerges From 77 Booths In West Bengal

The Election Commission is closely examining demands for repolling in 77 polling booths spread across four Assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas district after the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded on April 29. The move comes after a series of complaints alleging serious polling irregularities, prompting the Commission to order field-level verification before taking a final decision.

Complaints Pour In From Four Key Constituencies

According to election officials, the poll panel has received a total of 77 repoll-related complaints from four constituencies in the district. Falta accounted for the highest number with 32 complaints, followed by Diamond Harbour with 29, Magrahat with 13 and Budge Budge with three.

Repoll requests are usually submitted by political parties, candidates, polling agents or election observers when they suspect irregularities such as EVM malfunction, booth capturing, voter intimidation or violation of voting secrecy.

EC Orders Ground Inspection Instead of Routine Review

With the complaints surfacing soon after voting ended on Wednesday, the Election Commission has opted for a stricter-than-usual review process. Instead of relying only on the standard next-day scrutiny, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has instructed Special Observer Subrata Gupta to carry out physical inspections at the affected booths.

"The complaints, which surfaced soon after polling concluded on Wednesday, include allegations of EVM tampering, use of substances on machines, and attempts to obstruct surveillance cameras. In view of the volume and nature of complaints, the Commission is taking no chances," a senior official told PTI.

Gupta is currently visiting the booths named in the complaints and holding discussions with other observers on the ground. Officials said his report will be crucial in determining whether repolling is necessary in any of the booths.

"He has been asked to physically verify the situation at each of these locations and submit a detailed report," an official source said.

Serious Allegations Surface From Diamond Harbour Belt

Among the most serious allegations to emerge is one from Magrahat Paschim in the Diamond Harbour area, where claims have been made that spy cameras were placed inside voters' shirt pockets to track their voting choices.

This has added to concerns over possible breaches of ballot secrecy, one of the most sensitive issues during any election process.

"The instructions are clear. Assess everything at the ground level before taking a call," another official said.

Repoll Decision Likely Soon, Voting May Be Held Again on Friday

The Election Commission is expected to take a final call once Special Observer Subrata Gupta submits his detailed findings from the field inspections. If the complaints are found to be serious enough, repolling in the affected booths could be conducted as early as Friday, officials indicated.

With allegations ranging from EVM tampering to surveillance obstruction and privacy breaches, the Commission appears determined to avoid any procedural lapse before announcing its decision.