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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (EC) has ordered a implicit repoll successful West Bengal’s Falta assembly constituency, scrapping voting held connected April 29 aft what it described arsenic a breakdown of the antiauthoritarian process.
All 285 polling stations successful the South 24 Parganas spot volition present ballot again connected May 21 nether heightened security, with counting scheduled for May 24.The determination follows aggregate reports of irregularities, including allegations of elector intimidation, unauthorised beingness wrong polling booths and imaginable tampering with voting machines. Officials said the Commission reviewed elaborate submissions from ground-level authorities, observers and disposable records earlier declaring the earlier canvass “void”.
What led to the move
According to the EC, the standard and seriousness of complaints made it intolerable to certify the April 29 polling arsenic escaped oregon fair. Observer reports flagged incidents of intimidation and interference wrong booths, raising concerns implicit whether voters were capable to workout their franchise independently.
One of the astir superior allegations progressive physics voting machines (EVMs). BJP leaders claimed that successful respective booths, including 1 astatine Harindanga High School, the BJP awesome had been partially covered, preventing voters from selecting their preferred option.
Who said what
West Bengal BJP main Sukanta Majumdar called the repoll a “victory” for voters, peculiarly women, who helium claimed faced intimidation during polling.On the different side, Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations and launched a counterattack, daring absorption leaders to contention the spot and support their claims connected the ground.The Congress besides weighed in, with Rashid Alvi alleging that irregularities were wide crossed West Bengal and Assam, calling the concern a “blot connected democracy”.Polling time itself reflected the charged environment. Heavy deployment of information forces, convoy movements and changeless monitoring by governmental camps created an ambiance of tension. BJP alleged that its enactment awesome had been taped implicit connected physics voting machines (EVMs) astatine respective polling booths successful Falta.The candidates from Falta see Trinamool’s Jahangir Khan, BJP’s Debangshu Panda and Congress person Abdur Razzak Molla.
