Amid polling for the second phase of the Bengal Assembly elections, Diamond Harbor constituency has come under Election Commission scrutiny following allegations of EVM rigging in multiple booths.
The BJP alleged that voters were prevented from choosing the BJP at several polling stations in Valta under the diamond seat.
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said on Wednesday that re-polls are likely to be announced at booths where tampered electronic voting machines will be found.
Agarwal said any decision on re-polling would be taken only after receiving reports from district election officials and election observers on complaints of alleged tampering, including the use of tapes or ink marks on electronic voting machines.
The remarks come after the party’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, shared a video on social media platform He called for a re-survey.
The Election Commission did not verify the authenticity of the video, but confirmed that the complaints were being examined.
“We will review complaints regarding fixing of black or white bars on electronic voting machines and then consider whether re-polling is required,” Agarwal said.
He added that if such incidents were reported from a large number of booths within an electoral district, the commission might consider expanding the scope of re-polling to include the entire electoral district.
According to officials, the Election Commission has so far received 2,196 complaints of various types during the polling process.
Presiding officers at all polling stations have reportedly been instructed to ensure that the buttons corresponding to each candidate on the electronic voting machine remain fully visible and are not obstructed with tape, adhesive or any other material.
They were reportedly asked to check that no ink, colour, perfume or chemical was used on the polling unit buttons.
(with PTI inputs)
