5 days ago
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The Election Commission has astir doubled the information arrangements for the May 21 repoll successful West Bengal's Falta Assembly constituency that was countermanded past period implicit allegations of large-scale EVM tampering, a elder canvass sheet authoritative said connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026).
According to an authoritative astatine the authorities Chief Electoral Officer, 8 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, equivalent to 1 afloat section, volition beryllium deployed astatine each polling booth.
During the April 29 polling that was yet countermanded, lone 4 personnel, oregon fractional a section, had been stationed astatine each booth, helium added.
"The canvass sheet does not privation to permission immoderate country for irregularities this time. Security arrangements person truthful been importantly strengthened," an authoritative of the canvass sheet told PTI.
Falta Assembly constituency has 285 polling booths, and astir 35 companies of cardinal forces volition beryllium deployed to guarantee creaseless voting, the authoritative said, adding that deployment of information forces for the repoll would beryllium astir treble that of the archetypal polling day.
Additionally, 30 speedy effect teams volition stay connected standby to respond swiftly to immoderate disturbance. "The thought is to guarantee contiguous involution adjacent successful lawsuit of insignificant unrest," a elder predetermination authoritative said.
The canvass sheet has besides intensified surveillance measures, helium said. Two web cameras volition beryllium installed wrong each polling booth and 1 outside, portion unrecorded webcasting volition screen the polling process and surrounding areas.
"Monitoring volition beryllium conducted from the offices of the District Election Officer (DEO) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)," helium said, adding that drone surveillance is besides being considered for the repoll day.
"Three predetermination observers person been assigned to supervise the repoll process," the serviceman stated.
Meanwhile, the authorities constabulary person already initiated enactment up of the caller polling exercise. "We person arrested respective persons, including Falta Panchayat Samiti vice-chairman Saidul Khan," a elder serviceman of Bengal Police said.
On Tuesday (May 19), Trinamool Congress campaigner Jahangir Khan declared that helium would not contention the Thursday (May 21) repoll. The TMC described Mr. Khan's determination arsenic "personal" and not that of the party.
The BJP has fielded Debangshu Panda against Mr. Khan.
Tension has been precocious successful the constituency since polling connected April 29, erstwhile complaints surfaced from aggregate booths alleging that perfume and adhesive tapes had been applied to EVMs.
The past peculiar perceiver Subrata Gupta had personally visited the constituency and conducted a scrutiny, pursuing which grounds of tampering was reportedly detected successful astatine slightest 60 booths.
Apart from alleged EVM manipulation, scrutiny besides revealed attempts to tamper with footage captured by web cameras installed astatine respective polling stations.
Questions were subsequently raised implicit the relation of booth-level officers, presiding officers, polling officials and adjacent predetermination observers.
Following the findings, the EC ordered repolling successful each booths of the constituency.
