Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 1 : Following the conclusion of polling in West Bengal, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Friday said that the Election Commission is considering repolling in some of the polling booths.
Speaking to ANI, he alleged that there were irregularities in Falta under the Diamond Harbour constituency, adding that complaints were also recieved from booths in the constituency.
"EC is looking into how many booths should have a repoll in West Bengal. During the second phase, we received complaints from several Diamond Harbour booths. In Falta, tapes were affixed, however, this isn't the first time, it happened in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well. Abhishek Banerjee coined this model in Bengal," he claimed.
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Wednesday said that the polling booths with taping of any EVM button will undergo repolling, after the BJP alleged irregularities in Falta under the Diamond Harbour constituency.
He also touched upon the row over strong rooms after TMC allegations of EVM tampering yesterday, mocking the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that her shift in tone reflects a growing fear of electoral defeat, stating that she is aware that the position of Leader of Opposition is in her future.
Speaking to ANI, Majumdar suggested that Banerjee has already transitioned into an "opposition mode" as she anticipates a BJP victory in the state. He lauded the election commison for ensuring polling
"Mamata Banerjee in the morning boosted the confidence of her workers, urging them to hold on to counting tables, but by the evening, her inner fear took over, she knows that BJP is forming the government.... She went into Opposition mode since she knows the role of LoP awaits her... to ensure a peaceful and impartial counting is the job of the Election Commission, till now, in both the phases it has done an excellent job," he said.
The development comes following allegations raised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in "active collusion" with the Election Commission of India (ECI), is attempting to open ballot boxes without the presence of relevant party stakeholders.
Senior TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh held a dharna outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium, which was subsequently called off after some time.
In response, Election Commission officials on Thursday rejected allegations of Trinamool Congress about "opening of ballot boxes without the presence of any relevant party stakeholders" and said the main strong rooms are safely secured and locked and segregation of the ballot was taking place in the corridor of strong rooms.
In an apparent reference to the video posted by Trinamool Congress on its X handle, the officials said that all strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. They noted that there was routine segregation of postal ballots.
Meanwhile, West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday said that there are chances of repolling at two to three locations in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. However, he clarified that there is no 100 per cent confirmation that the repolling will take place.