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Voting began connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) greeting for the re-polling to the Falta Assembly seat successful West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, amid choky security, officials said.
More than 2.36 lakh people, including 1.15 lakh women and 9 belonging to the 3rd gender, are eligible to formed their votes crossed 285 booths successful this re-polling, which commenced astatine 7 a.m,, they said.
Polling for the Falta Assembly spot was held successful the 2nd signifier of the West Bengal Assembly elections connected April 29. After large-scale irregularities were reported, the Election Commission ordered re-polling successful the constituency connected May 21.
A full of six candidates are successful the fray, including TMC's Jahangir Khan, who announced helium was withdrawing from the contention connected Tuesday (May 19).
Even arsenic Mr. Khan announced pulling retired from the contest, his sanction remained connected the EVMs arsenic helium couldn't officially retreat his candidature. Among different candidates are Debangshu Panda of the BJP, CPI(M)'s Sambhu Nath Kurmi, and Congress' Abdur Razzak Molla.
A full of 35 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) person been deployed for the re-polling, with 8 personnel, equivalent to 1 afloat section, astatine each booth, the officials said.
On April 29, lone 4 personnel, oregon fractional a section, had been stationed astatine each booth, they added.
Additionally, 30 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are connected standby to respond swiftly to immoderate disturbance.
Political tensions person remained precocious successful the constituency since allegations surfaced from aggregate booths that perfume substances and adhesive tapes had been applied to EVMs during the earlier polling.
Former Special Observer of the Election Commission, Subrata Gupta, had visited the constituency and conducted a scrutiny, pursuing which grounds of alleged tampering was detected successful astatine slightest 60 booths.
Apart from the alleged EVM manipulation, authorities besides recovered 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 (BLOs), presiding officers, polling unit and predetermination observers.
The TMC has won the Falta spot since 2001, barring the 2006 Assembly polls, erstwhile the CPI(M) had bagged the seat.
