EC Orders Repoll in West Bengal's Falta Constituency After EVM Tampering

The Election Commission of India on Saturday ordered a complete repoll in West Bengal's Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, declaring the April 29 election "seriously vitiated". Citing a breakdown of the democratic process, the poll panel scrapped voting across all 285 polling stations, including auxiliary booths, while scheduling fresh polling on May 21, with counting on May 24.

Results for the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are scheduled to be announced on May 4.

The decision followed reports from Special Observer Subrata Gupta and the district election officer, who flagged widespread procedural lapses, interference and failure to address complaints. Officials said the scale of violations made it impossible to certify the poll as free and fair, prompting the Commission to void the entire exercise — a rare move applied to the full constituency.

At the core of the controversy were serious allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering. Observer reports found that ballot unit buttons in several polling stations were masked using black tape — and in some cases even substances like perfume — preventing voters from selecting candidates of their choice. Such tampering was confirmed in at least 60 polling stations, accounting for about 21% of all booths and affecting over 53,000 electors.

EC Special Observer Subrata Gupta and DEO in their report noted "deliberate masking and obstruction of the polling button of the candidate in EVM through Black Masking Tapes clearly constitutes tampering and procedural irregularity that vitiates the poll," The Economic Times reported.

The Commission noted that while complaints were eventually acted upon, a significant portion of voting had already taken place by then. Polling data showed that 17.14% votes were cast by 9 am, rising to nearly 87% by 5 pm, while complaints were only formally registered between early afternoon and evening — raising concerns that the integrity of the vote had already been compromised.

The report also highlighted serious procedural flaws after polling: Scrutiny of complaints was conducted without all candidates present; Mandatory notices were not properly served; Authorities relied largely on official records instead of examining video evidence; Available footage pointed to violations under election law.

Officials further noted that despite multiple complaints during polling, detailed examination of affected booths was not carried out in time. Observers pointed to a broader pattern of intimidation, obstruction and possible deliberate interference in the polling process, compounded by incomplete or missing video footage. The findings suggested that the scale of disruption went beyond isolated incidents, undermining the credibility of the entire election in the constituency.

Invoking its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, including Sections 58 and 58A, the Commission concluded that large-scale tampering and booth-level interference warranted countermanding the entire poll. Under these provisions, a full repoll can be ordered when irregularities affect a significant number of polling stations and the result cannot be reliably determined.

All 285 polling stations in Falta will now vote again on May 21 between 7 am and 6 pm, with counting scheduled for May 24. The repoll is expected to take place under heightened security and closer monitoring.