BJP accuses TMC of tampering with EVM; West Bengal CEO says booth will go for repoll if claims verified

During the last phase of polling in West Bengal on Wednesday, the BJP accused the TMC of tampering with the EVMs and causing them to malfunction.

The reports seemed to surface from Falta in Diamond Harbour. The same constituency which had emerged as a major flashpoint due to TMC's candidate of choice—Jahangir Khan.

The wee hours of voting in West Bengal were marred by sporadic incidents of violence along with reports of EVM malfunctioning from multiple areas. Many voters expressed their dissatisfaction at the malfunctioning of the EVM.

Among the voices of protest was one of Amit Malviya, who accused the TMC of blocking the option to vote for BJP in Falta.

He went on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "This is what Mamata Banerjee was defending when she spoke up for Jehangir Khan, a criminal contesting on a TMC ticket from Falta in Diamond Harbour.

"In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from exercising their choice. This is the so-called “Diamond Harbour Model,” the same template that helped Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee secure his Lok Sabha seat. We demand an immediate repoll in all affected booths in Falta where such incidents have occurred."

BJP candidate from Bhabanipur, Suvendu Adhikari told the press on Wednesday that the Election Commission has taken cognisance of the incident. Adhikari also spoke to Union Minister Amit Shah and intimated him regarding the situation.

ANI reported West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) saying, "If reports of taping of any button come in, that should be verified and noted. If true, those booths will go for a repoll."