The Election Commission of India ordered a fresh round of voting in all polling booths of the Falta Assembly constituency in West Bengal.

This rare decision reflects the severity of irregularities reported during the initial voting process. By nullifying the previous results across an entire constituency, the commission aims to ensure the integrity of the local representation in the South 24 Parganas district.

The commission announced the repolling on May 2 [1]. The move follows the original polling held on April 29, 2026 [4], which the agency said was marred by severe electoral offences.

According to a spokesperson for the Election Commission of India, the body cited "severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process" as the primary reason for the order [1]. The commission determined that the irregularities were widespread enough to necessitate a total reset of the voting process for the seat.

An official from the Election Commission of India said, "Due to the subversion of the democratic process, we are ordering a fresh poll across all 285 booths in Falta on May 21" [2].

The repolling is scheduled for May 21, 2026 [2]. This timeline allows for the mobilization of security forces and administrative staff to prevent a recurrence of the previous disruptions. Following the fresh vote, the counting of ballots is set for May 24, 2026 [3].

All 285 polling stations [1] in the constituency must participate in the repoll. The commission has not yet released a detailed list of the specific offences that led to the decision, but the order applies to every single booth within the Falta Assembly seat.

“The Election Commission of India has announced repolling in all polling booths of West Bengal's Falta Assembly constituency.”

The decision to order a total repoll across 285 stations is an extraordinary measure in Indian elections, typically reserved for cases of extreme violence or systemic fraud. It signals a high level of distrust in the original April 29 proceedings and puts the Election Commission under significant pressure to ensure the May 21 vote is secure and transparent to maintain public confidence in the democratic process.