West Bengal Repoll: Nearly 37% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 11 AM in South 24 Parganas
Nearly 37 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am during the repoll in 15 booths across two assembly constituencies in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, officials said on Saturday.
The repoll is being conducted in 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbour following directions from the Election Commission of India after reports of alleged electoral malpractices.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. According to officials, Magrahat Paschim recorded a turnout of 38.2 per cent, while Diamond Harbour saw 35.92 per cent voting till 11 am, taking the combined turnout to 36.99 per cent.
Authorities confirmed that polling has remained peaceful so far, with no incidents of violence or disruption reported from either constituency. Adequate deployment of central forces has been ensured, along with webcasting of polling stations for real-time monitoring.
The repoll decision was taken based on reports submitted by returning officers and observers, along with other material evidence indicating irregularities during the earlier phase of voting held on April 29.
In Magrahat Paschim, the contest features TMC candidate Md Samim Ahamed Molla against BJP’s Goursundar Ghosh, along with candidates from Congress and ISF. In Diamond Harbour, TMC’s Panna Lal Halder is contesting against BJP nominee Dipak Kumar Halder, with other candidates from Congress and CPI(M) also in the fray.
The BJP had earlier alleged large-scale electoral malpractices in certain polling stations under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, represented by Abhishek Banerjee. Following the complaints, the poll panel had deputed special observer Subrata Gupta to assess the situation on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission is expected to take a decision on a possible repoll in the Falta assembly constituency later. The West Bengal Assembly elections were conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
