The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Thursday that re-polling at select booths in West Bengal, if necessary, is likely to take place on May 2 or 3, as scrutiny of reports and complaints of polling stations across districts continues.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said the poll panel is studying reports submitted by returning officers, district election officials and observers to determine whether re-polls are justified. “The scrutiny of data and reports of polling stations…is ongoing to check whether there is a need to conduct re-polls in any booth. Re-polls, if any, will be conducted on May 2 or 3,” he said.
This development comes after the second phase of voting on April 29, which covered 142 electoral districts across nearly 41,000 polling stations. The first phase, which took place on April 23, in approximately 44,370 polling stations in 152 electoral districts, did not witness any re-voting.
According to European Commission sources, more than 3,500 complaints were received across the stages, including allegations of jamming booths, intimidation of polling agents, and tampering with the electronic voting mechanism. Of these, at least 77 complaints related to alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from four constituencies in South 24 Parganas – Valta (32), Diamond Harbor (29), Magrat (13) and Bad Badge (3).
About 23 of these complaints were found to be prima facie valid, prompting the committee to consider re-polling at the affected booths, officials said. “All complaints are being looked into,” an EC official said, adding that audit has been completed in areas like Nadia, Purba Bardhaman, Kolkata North and Kolkata South, where re-polls were not needed. The exam is ongoing in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
In some cases, buttons on electronic voting machines belonging to certain political parties were allegedly covered with adhesive or blackened with ink, making them difficult to press, officials said. In other cases, substances such as attar were reportedly applied to buttons to identify voters who chose certain options. There have also been allegations of attempts to obstruct surveillance cameras and even allegations of spy cameras being used to track voting choices in parts of Diamond Harbor.
The European Commission is conducting an investigation
The committee ordered Special Controller Subrata Gupta to conduct field inspections of the affected kiosks before taking a final decision. Gupta is currently visiting the sites 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 the politically charged controversy over the death of an elderly voter during polling in Howrah’s Udinarayanpur town. The footage allegedly shows Purnachandra Doloi collapsing inside the polling station while casting his vote, which contradicts the ruling Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) allegations that the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) manhandled him.
“There were no complaints of any manhandling. The anti-graft department report said the man collapsed while casting his vote. If the man was pushed, someone must have seen it. There were cameras installed,” Agarwal said.
The junta had earlier claimed that the 80-year-old voter was pushed by central forces when his son tried to help him inside the booth, leading to his collapse. The voter was later declared dead in hospital. His son, Tarani Doloi, repeated this claim to the media, claiming that he and his father were pushed by security personnel.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also accused the central forces of acting as a “private army” for the BJP. However, BJP leader Rahul Sinha rejected the charge and accused the ruling party of politicizing the death. “An elderly citizen has died. The TMC is doing what it usually does… it knows it will lose and hence is making such allegations,” he said.
Separately, the Commission held a virtual meeting with senior officials of the state administration and police to review preparedness and prevent post-election violence. There were reports of clashes in Parnassery in Behalla shortly after the polls ended on Wednesday.
