Police recovered hundreds of discarded VVPAT slips in Noapara, West Bengal, ahead of the official vote counting for the 2026 Assembly elections [1].
The incident raises questions about the integrity of the electronic voting process in the North 24 Parganas district. Because VVPAT slips are designed to provide a physical audit trail for every vote cast, their discovery outside of secure custody suggests a potential breach in protocol.
Residents of Noapara first flagged the presence of the discarded slips, which led to the police recovery effort [1]. The recovered documents are linked to candidates from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Trinamool Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party [1].
The CPI(M) has since alleged that the discovery indicates significant irregularities in the voting process [2]. Party representatives said that a large portion of the recovered slips bore the name of their candidate [2].
The CPI(M) is now demanding a full investigation into how the slips were discarded and whether the electronic tallies match the physical records [2]. This recovery occurred in the critical window before counting began, a period when the security of voting materials is paramount to prevent tampering.
Local authorities have not yet released a formal statement regarding the origin of the slips or how they left the secure polling environment [1]. The incident has intensified the political friction between the three major parties involved in the race for the North 24 Parganas seats.
“Police recovered hundreds of discarded VVPAT slips in Noapara.”
The recovery of VVPAT slips outside of official custody undermines the 'trust but verify' mechanism of India's electronic voting system. If these slips were prematurely discarded or leaked, it could lead to legal challenges regarding the validity of the results in the North 24 Parganas district and fuel broader demands for a manual recount of the paper trails.
