Re-polling has started on Thursday in Falta assembly constituency located in South 24 Parganas of West Bengal. Re-polling is being conducted at all 285 polling stations of this assembly constituency. Voting has started at 7:00 am and will continue till 6:00 pm. The results of the elections will be declared on 24 May.

Voting was held on Falta seat on April 29 in the second phase of the recently concluded two-phase assembly elections. However, that day several complaints of alleged election rigging were reported from this constituency.

At many polling booths, EVM buttons bearing the names and symbols of BJP candidates were reportedly covered with white tape. Based on the investigation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered re-polling in the entire Falta assembly constituency.

Even before this, Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan had announced on Tuesday that he will not contest the elections this time. He had expressed his confidence in the Chief Minister regarding the announcement of development package for Falta.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal said on Wednesday that the polling personnel are fully prepared and the deployment work is going on smoothly.

A source in the CEO office said that constant monitoring arrangements have been made to ensure that every aspect of the voting process runs smoothly. The objective of all these measures is to make voting free, fair and peaceful. This re-polling will be conducted under tight security cover of 35 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, which is a very large number for any one assembly constituency.

However, the CEO office clarified that despite Khan’s announcement, his name will continue to be a Trinamool Congress candidate in the re-poll and his name will continue to appear on the EVMs as well.