Violence mars Falta repoll as BJP seeks fresh voting. Photo: ANI.
As the voters in the Falta assembly constituency came out to vote for the second time on Saturday, violent clashes broke out between the BJP and TMC workers. BJP supporters have alleged that they were prevented from voting and have demanded another re-poll. A BJP worker, while speaking about the violence and the alleged voter intimidation during the polling, said that the party has reached out to the Election Commission and has asked for a re-poll.
“We have asked for a re-poll in Falta, and we hope EC will take a decision,” the BJP worker can be heard in a viral clip on X.
BJP’s Falta assembly constituency candidate Debangshu Panda alleged that TMC workers disrupted voting at several booths. He claimed that TMC workers threatened and prevented people from voting.
Local residents staged a protest on Saturday in the Falta area of South 24 Parganas district, alleging threats and intimidation by TMC cadre ahead of the counting of votes.
Heavy security deployment was witnessed in the area, with personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) stationed at key locations. An armoured CRPF vehicle was also deployed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order amid rising tensions.
TMC retaliated with counter-charges accusing the BJP of disrupting the voting process. The violence prompted police action, with officers resorting to a lathi charge and detaining several people involved in clashes. Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, when asked about the Falta re-poll by PTI, said that the BJP is asking for new polls because they’re losing the assembly constituency.
“BJP is doing the drama since they are losing,” Kunal Ghosh said on the Falta poll violence.
According to reports, EC has received multiple reports against violence and various other issues during voting in the Falta assembly constituency from the observers. The EC is reportedly mulling over repolling in various booths in the region tomorrow. The decision will be made tonight as vote counting is scheduled for May 4.
If the Election Commission allows the re-poll, it would be the third time that the assembly segment is going to vote. The EC earlier ordered to conduct voting for the second time at 5 booths in Magrahat Paschim and Diamond Harbour after allegations of tampering and electoral malpractice erupted.
Meanwhile, a controversy has erupted over alleged irregularities in EVM strongrooms. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has filed a complaint against a Returning Officer at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers. The centre is currently being used as a strongroom for storing EVMs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also alleged that a strong room was opened without authorisation, prompting an inquiry in which at least six officials have reportedly been suspended.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday exuded confidence that the TMC will emerge victorious in the ongoing assembly elections.
Addressing the counting agents via video conferencing, she dismissed the exit poll projections and recognised them as an attempt to “manipulate the stock market.”
“We are winning and winning by 200+ seats. Exit polls are nothing but an attempt to manipulate the stock market. They did in 2021, 2024, and now.”
She further accused the Central Armed Police Forces of committing brutality against TMC workers and affirmed that the affected will be rewarded.
“The party in the coming days will reward those who faced the brutality of the CAPF,” she said.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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