West Bengal Assembly elections: BJP alleges vote tampering, says EVM taped in TMC candidate's stronghold
The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress of tampering the voting machines in the Falta, an Assembly seat in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency represented by Abhishek Banerjee.
The BJP has alleged that its button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) has been taped in several polling booths in Falta in South 24 Paraganas' Diamond Harbour area.
Refuting the claims, the Trinamool said the BJP is levelling false allegations because it is losing in Bengal. TMC also slammed Election Commission of India and police observer Ajay Pal Sharma, who it had earlier accused of threatening their candidate Jehangir Khan.
BJP candidate Debangshu Panda has also accused Mamata-led party of obstruting the voters and threatening them to deliberately caste ballots in his favour, further escalating tensions in the constituency.
According to the candidate, the button on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) for his name and party symbol was reportedly not working in several booths. He claimed this was done on purpose so that people could not vote for him. Debangshu Panda also alleged that such actions were meant to influence the election and stop fair voting.
These claims have increased political tension in the area, although there has been no official confirmation yet. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Election Commission has said that any complaints about EVM buttons being blocked must be checked properly, and if found true, re-polling will be conducted in those booths.
Amid the ongoing dispute between IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma and Trinamool Congress leader Jahangir Khan, the situation in Falta remains calm for now. Khan has stayed inside the party office, keeping a close watch on developments and has not come out of his control room.
- With inputs from agencies
