Kolkata:
Repolling is being held today in 15 polling stations in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, where voting was held on April 29 in the second phase of the assembly elections, after the Election Commission (EC) received complaints of irregularities.
The voting is being conducted in 11 polling stations in the Magarhat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour. The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.
ECI announced Re-poll in 15 Polling Stations across 2 Assembly Constituencies of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal
🗓️ Date: 2 May, 2026#ECI #WestBengalElections2026 pic.twitter.com/BcR4QtVsHj
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) May 1, 2026
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and “material circumstances”.
The poll panel had reportedly received 29 complaints of repolling from Diamond Harbour and 13 from Magrahat.
ALSO READ | Diamond Harbour “Lyari Of Bengal”, Says BJP. Trinamool Hits Back
Repolling is generally demanded by political parties, candidates, polling agents, or even observers, citing specific irregularities such as electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunction, booth capturing, intimidation, or violation of the secrecy of voting.
The decision on a repoll in the Falta constituency in Diamond Harbour would be taken on Saturday as a report from the assembly segment is still awaited, a poll body official told the news agency PTI.
Politics Over Bengal Repolling
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
ALSO READ | Kolkata EVM Strongrooms Fortified After Mamata Banerjee’s Visit, Trinamool’s Protests
Trinamool’s Kunal Ghosh said that the BJP demanded repolling in Diamond Harbour and Magrahat as it knows it will be “defeated by a big margin”.
“The mandate is against the BJP, and it will remain the same,” Ghosh said.
The BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who is the leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly, said there had been “malpractices in several booths” to “favour” the TMC.
“We are happy with the repoll decision of the poll body,” he said.
Record Voter Turnout In Bengal
The two-phase West Bengal assembly polls ended on Wednesday with what the election watchdog said was the state’s highest-ever voter turnout of about 92 per cent.
Bengal, which has a voter base of 6.81 crore, saw a 93 per cent turnout in phase 1 on April 23, while phase 2 saw a poll participation of 91 per cent.
Previously, the highest voter turnout in Bengal was recorded in 2011, when about 84 per cent voters had exercised their franchise.
Photo Credit: Election Commission
This year, 92 per cent of women voters turned up at the polling stations in the first phase, compared to 90 per cent of men. In Phase II, the participation of women electors was marginally higher compared to men.
What Bengal Exit Polls Predict
At least five pollsters have predicted that the BJP is poised to come to power in Bengal for the first time.
Of 294 constituencies in the Bengal Assembly, with 148 required to get a majority, Praja Poll’s numbers predicted that the BJP will win 178-208 seats, up from 77 in 2021, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress will be restricted to 85-110, down massively from 215.
Today’s Chanakya exit polls for Bengal said that the BJP is likely to get about 192 seats, while the TMC may be relegated to about 100 seats.
P-Marq’s numbers state the BJP will win 150-175 constituencies and the Trinamool between 118 and 138.
Matrize has predicted 146-161 seats for the BJP, and Poll Diary 142-171. These pollsters say the TMC will get 125-140 and 99-127, respectively.
Janmat Polls’ data states that the Trinamool Congress will get a thumping majority for the third straight time. The agency has predicted between 195 and 205 seats for the Mamata Banerjee-led party and 80-90 for the BJP, which is very close to the figures both parties had in the 2021 elections.
Peoples Pulse has also said that the Trinamool Congress will win 177-187 constituencies while the BJP will be restricted to between 85 and 110.
Health warning: Exit polls often get it wrong.
The votes will be counted on May 4.
