EC Orders Full Repoll in West Bengal’s Falta Over EVM Tampering Claims

Election Commission of India has ordered a complete re-poll in all 285 polling stations of Falta Assembly Constituency after reports of large-scale irregularities during voting raised concerns over the fairness of the electoral process.

According to officials, the decision was taken after election observers and the returning officer submitted reports highlighting multiple violations that allegedly affected the integrity of polling. The re-poll is scheduled for May 21, while counting of votes will take place on May 24.

The commission’s findings reportedly included allegations of booth capturing, intimidation of voters, and attempts to stop genuine voters from casting their ballots. In several locations, unidentified persons were said to have taken control of polling stations and influenced voting through threats and pressure tactics.

Authorities also flagged claims of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), including the use of black tape on ballot unit buttons to block votes. In another unusual allegation, some suspects were accused of applying perfume and ink on voting buttons to identify which candidate a voter selected.

Serious lapses were also found in surveillance systems. Officials said video recordings from several polling stations had long gaps, while some memory chips were empty or contained unrelated footage, making verification difficult.

The commission stated that the scale of irregularities had crossed the legal threshold required to cancel the earlier polling process. Based on these findings, a full repoll was ordered to ensure free and fair elections in the constituency.