Repolling in 77 Booths in West Bengal? EC to Decide Soon

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is looking into re-polling requests in 77 booths across four constituencies that went into polls in the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections, voting for which concluded on April 29. These constituencies fall in South 24 Parganas. West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 were held in two phases. The first phase concluded on April 23 on 152 seats with an overall turnout of 93.19 percent. Phase 2 concluded on April 29 in 142 remaining seats and with an overall turnout of 91.66 percent. The results will be declared on May 4.As the polling has concluded, the election commission has received re-poll requests in as many as 77 booths, PTI reported. The poll panel received 32 complaints of re-polling from Falta,

followed by Diamond Harbour (29), Magrahat (13), and three from Budge Budge, he said.Demands for re-polling are generally made by political parties, candidates, polling agents, or even observers, citing specific irregularities such as EVM malfunction, booth capturing, intimidation, or violation of the secrecy of voting."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.

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What CEC Gyanesh Kumar Said on Re-polling Requests

Acting on the reports, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar directed Special Observer Subrata Gupta to carry out on-ground inspections before any decision on re-polling is finalised, the official said.Gupta is currently conducting on-ground inspections to decide on possible re-polls in several booths, he said, adding that he is also holding talks with other observers."He has been asked to physically verify the situation at each of these locations and submit a detailed report," an official source said, adding that the move marks a departure from the usual next-day scrutiny process.The commission will take a final decision on re-polling after Gupta's inspection. If required, re-polling in the affected booths could be conducted as early as Friday, officials added.A particularly serious allegation was also reported from Magrahat Paschim in the Diamond Harbour area, where it was claimed that spy cameras were placed in voters' shirt pockets to track their voting choices."The instructions are clear. Assess everything at the ground level before taking a call," another official said.With inputs from PTI