The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a fresh poll for the Falta Assembly constituency in West Bengal on May 21 [1].
The decision to order a repoll across an entire constituency underscores the severity of reported irregularities and the ECI's effort to maintain the integrity of the democratic process in a volatile electoral environment.
The repoll will encompass all 285 polling stations [3] within the Falta constituency, located in the South 24-Parganas district. Voting is scheduled to take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 21 [1].
This action follows the original voting held on April 29, 2026 [1]. The ECI said reports of severe electoral offences and the subversion of the democratic process were the primary drivers for the decision [3]. Some reports also pointed to clashes between the BJP and TMC, and allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering during the initial vote [1].
The counting of votes for the Falta repoll is scheduled for May 24, 2026 [2]. This timeline differs from the rest of the state's electoral schedule, as the counting for the remaining West Bengal seats is set for May 4, 2026 [1].
By voiding the results from April 29, the ECI has effectively reset the race for this specific seat. The commission has not detailed the specific nature of the "severe electoral offences" beyond the general subversion of the process, but the scale of the repoll—covering every single booth—indicates a systemic failure during the first attempt [3].
“The repoll will encompass all 285 polling stations”
The decision to order a total repoll in Falta, rather than targeting specific booths, suggests that the Election Commission found the entire voting process in the constituency compromised. Because the final result for this seat will be determined nearly three weeks after the rest of the state's results are announced on May 4, the Falta constituency will remain a critical, unresolved variable in the overall assembly composition.
