ECI Orders Fresh Poll in Entire Falta Constituency Over Electoral Irregularities

Kolkata, May 2026 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a complete re-election in all polling stations of the Falta Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, citing serious electoral violations and disruption of the democratic process during the second phase of polling held on April 29.

In a decisive move, the Commission annulled the entire polling conducted in the 144-Falta Assembly constituency and announced that fresh voting will take place on May 21 across all 285 polling stations, including auxiliary booths. Polling will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., while counting of votes for the constituency has been rescheduled to May 24. As a result, vote counting on May 4 will proceed for the remaining 293 Assembly constituencies in the state, excluding Falta.

The Commission, in its official statement, said the decision was taken after considering widespread complaints of severe electoral malpractices and irregularities that allegedly compromised the integrity of the voting process in multiple booths.

Earlier, the ECI had already ordered re-polling in 15 booths across the Diamond Harbour and Magrahat (Paschim) Assembly constituencies in the same district. That re-polling exercise was carried out on May 2.

Falta had drawn significant attention even before polling began, primarily due to a reported standoff between Special Police Observer Ajay Pal Sharma, an IPS officer, and Jahangir Khan, a candidate of the All India Trinamool Congress. Tensions escalated further on polling day as allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering surfaced, prompting multiple complaints and petitions demanding a re-poll.

Following these developments, the Commission initiated a detailed inquiry into the matter. Acting on the instructions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Special Observer Subrata Gupta visited Falta and other affected constituencies, including Magrahat and Diamond Harbour, to assess the ground situation.

Gupta’s report reportedly recommended re-polling in around 30 booths in Falta. However, subsequent scrutiny by the Commission revealed more widespread irregularities, leading to the unprecedented decision to cancel polling across the entire constituency.

Sources indicated that the district recorded the highest number of complaints seeking re-polling, with Falta emerging as a major concern. Among the irregularities flagged were reports that surveillance cameras in several polling stations were switched off, and that technical or network issues prevented real-time data from reaching control rooms.

Additionally, serious concerns were raised over the handling of EVMs, with allegations that machines were covered with tape in multiple booths. Although presiding officers reportedly removed the tape by around 1 p.m., nearly 58 per cent of voting had already been completed by then, casting doubt over the fairness and transparency of the process.

The Commission’s decision underscores its commitment to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections, even if it requires extraordinary corrective measures.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)