Kolkata, May 21: Re-elections for the Falta assembly seat in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district have commenced. Voters have been seen forming long queues at polling stations since morning to cast their votes. They are exercising their democratic rights peacefully at the voting centers.
Voting began at 7 AM on Wednesday, under the strict security of 35 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). One voter remarked that the voting process has been peaceful since the morning.
According to officials, over 236,000 voters are eligible to vote across 285 booths in this election. Currently, there are six candidates contesting in Falta, although the Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan has already announced his withdrawal from the election. Nevertheless, his name remains on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
Debangshu Panda is the candidate from the BJP, while the Congress has nominated Abdur Razzak Molla, and the CPM has put forward Shambhu Nath Kurmi. Two other candidates are running as independents. The election results will be announced on May 24.
In the recently concluded two-phase West Bengal assembly elections, voting for the Falta seat took place on April 29. However, numerous complaints of alleged electoral fraud emerged that day. Reports indicated that the EVM buttons for BJP candidates were allegedly covered with white tape at several polling booths.
Based on these complaints, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered re-elections for the entire Falta assembly constituency.
Leave a Comment