Repoll at 15 West Bengal booths over EVM complaints

Repolling took place Saturday at 15 polling stations in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, following an order from the Election Commission of India after reports of electronic voting machine tampering during the second phase of assembly elections on April 29.

The repolling covered 11 booths in the Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, both under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat. Voting ran from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., based on inputs from returning officers, election observers and other material circumstances, the commission stated in a directive to the state's chief electoral officer. The poll body invoked provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to declare the original polling at those booths void and ensure fairness.

The decision stemmed from allegations of irregularities, including claims by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders that black tape had been placed over the party's lotus symbol button on EVMs, preventing voters from selecting their candidate. BJP West Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya highlighted incidents at several booths in Falta, under Diamond Harbour. The commission deputed special observer Subrata Gupta to verify the...