Action has been taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after receiving news about some very serious irregularities in the conduct of elections in the second phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal. In this connection, EC issued an order for repolling at 15 polling centers in Magrahat Paschim and Diamond Harbour constituencies in South 24 Parganas district on Friday.
Scope of the Order
Under Section 58(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the EC announced that votes that had been polled on April 29 had been declared void in view of “material circumstances” brought to light in reports filed by ROs and General Observers.
This has been done considering the “material considerations” and in view of the detailed report furnished by the ROs and General Observers in this regard. The fresh poll is likely to be held on May 2, 2021, starting from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
This decision comes amid complaints filed mostly by the BJP party on the way the elections were conducted in these areas, considered a stronghold of TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
EVM Malfunctions: Complaints have been filed from the Falta constituency that the buttons of the EVM were taped so that the voter does not get the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate.
Voter Intimidation: The election process came under allegations of booth jamming and voter intimidation by the local residents, which affected the process of the “free and fair” election.
Chief Election Officer of West Bengal Manoj Agarwal has stressed a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach towards electoral misconduct. Despite this problem, West Bengal has seen an unprecedented voting percentage of 92.47%, which is also the highest turnout rate since Independence. As West Bengal gets closer to its May 4 counting day, repolling is one way in which the Commission can ensure that no taint from the mayhem affects the results.
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