Saturday, 02 May 2026
Saturday, 02 May 2026
Voting is underway on Saturday at 15 polling booths across two assembly constituencies in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, following a repoll order by the Election Commission (EC) over alleged electoral malpractices.
The repolls are being conducted in 11 polling stations in Magrahat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbour, officials said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm under heightened security and strict monitoring.
"Polling was peaceful in the first hour. There has been no incident of violence or unrest. We have an adequate number of central forces in the two constituencies. Webcasting is also underway, and we are monitoring the proceedings," the EC official told PTI.
The Election Commission ordered the repoll based on inputs from returning officers, observers, and what it described as "material circumstances" indicating irregularities during polling held on April 29 in the second phase of the state elections.
In Magrahat Paschim, the contest features TMC’s Md Samim Ahamed Molla against BJP’s Goursundar Ghosh, along with Congress candidate Abdul Majid Halder and ISF’s Abdul Aziz Al Hassan.
In Diamond Harbour, TMC nominee Panna Lal Halder is up against BJP’s Dipak Kumar Halder, with Congress’s Goutam Bhattacharya and CPI(M)’s Samar Naiya also in the fray.
The BJP had earlier alleged widespread electoral malpractices in select polling stations within these constituencies, both of which fall under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
In response, the EC deputed special observer Subrata Gupta to verify the claims on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Commission is expected to take a call on Saturday regarding a possible repoll in the Falta assembly constituency as well.
The West Bengal Assembly elections were conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29 amid tight security arrangements. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
