Nearly 87% turnout in repolling, fresh voting ordered in Falta: Top updates in Bengal election ahead of result day

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like All eyes are now on May 4 (Monday), when the election results for the high-stakes battle, largely between the TMC and the BJP, in West Bengal, along with Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, will be declared. Voters stand in a queue to cast their vote during re-polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections at Magrahat Paschim Bidhan, in South 24 Parganas. (ANI)The Bengal election saw constant political disputes, with both sides making allegations against one another. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had to hold repolling at 15 polling stations in two assembly constituencies of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Saturday. ALSO READ | TMC will win 200+ seats, exit polls propaganda to influence share market: Mamata confident of win in Bengal A fresh repoll has also been ordered at all 285 polling stations in the Falta constituency in Bengal on May 21. Here’s a breakdown of the recent developments in the Bengal elections: The repoll in Magrahat Paschim and Diamond Harbour, both represented by the Trinamool Congress, was held from 7 am to 6 pm. By 5 pm, voter turnout stood at 86.9 per cent. “Repolls were held in a very peaceful manner. Till 5 pm, the voter turnout in Magrahat Paschim was 86.1%, and in Diamond Harbour it was 87.6%,” an EC official in Kolkata told HT earlier. The ECI ordered repolling on Friday at 15 polling stations after receiving complaints of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines during the second phase of the West Bengal election. At least 77 complaints linked to alleged EVM tampering were received during the second phase of elections. “While 32 came from Falta, 13 were received from Magrahat, 29 were received from Diamond Harbour, and three were received from Budge Budge,” the official added. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called for a repoll and accused the ruling TMC of being responsible for the alleged tampering. All four assembly seats from where the complaints came are TMC strongholds. On Saturday, the EC directed a repoll at all 285 polling stations in the Falta constituency in Bengal on May 21, citing “subversion of the democratic process”, an official aware of the matter told HT earlier. The poll body said voting at all booths, including auxiliary polling stations, would be held from 7 am to 6 pm on May 21, under "stringent security arrangements to ensure a free, fair and transparent" exercise. Counting of votes for the constituency will be held on May 24. “The Special Observer and the District Election Officer observed that there were sufficient grounds to conclude that the poll process in several polling stations in Falta was vitiated due to alleged application of black tape and perfume on ballot units. In multiple booths, the video feeds were found to be broken. There were large gaps in the video footage. Unauthorised persons could be seen entering the voting compartments and ballot units of the EVMs were found to be tampered,” an EC official told HT. While controversies continued around the Bengal election, all eyes will shift to the counting of votes for the high-octane battle in the eastern state, along with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, on Monday (May 4). Exit polls predicted that the BJP was heading for a historic win in Bengal, while chief minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the projections and said the TMC would win at least 226 of the 294 seats. Counting of votes is likely to begin at around 8 am on Monday. The process will start with postal ballots, followed by the Electronic Voting Machines.