West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said the Election Commission received 77 complaints of alleged Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering [1].

These allegations challenge the integrity of the voting process in several key districts. If the claims are verified, the Commission may order repolls to ensure the legitimacy of the election results.

The complaints originated from four constituencies: Falta, Magrahat, Diamond Harbour, and Budge Budge [1]. Of these, the Falta constituency accounted for 32 of the reported cases [1].

Officials are investigating reports that EVMs were tampered with using ink blots or adhesive tapes [2]. Some complaints specifically allege that the election symbol for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was obscured on certain machines [2, 3].

Agarwal said a decision regarding potential repolls is likely to be made soon. The Election Commission is reviewing the evidence to determine if the irregularities were widespread enough to necessitate new voting in the affected booths [1, 2].

According to reports, the deadline for ordering these repolls is before May 2, 2024 [1]. This follows the second phase of the West Bengal assembly polls, where voting took place in 142 of the 294 constituencies [4].

The Commission has not yet confirmed how many booths will be affected by the final decision. The process involves verifying the physical state of the machines and reviewing reports from polling agents on the ground [2].

“The Election Commission received 77 complaints of alleged Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering.”

The investigation into EVM tampering in West Bengal highlights the ongoing tension surrounding electronic voting security in Indian elections. By focusing on physical obstructions like tape and ink, the Commission is addressing immediate booth-level irregularities rather than systemic software failures. The outcome of these reviews will determine whether the electoral process in these specific constituencies remains credible or requires a reset to avoid legal challenges to the final results.