Voter Turnout Nears 40% in Bengal Phase 2, BJP Flags EVM Irregularities in Falta

West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 39.97 per cent till 11 am on Wednesday as polling for 142 seats in the second phase of the Assembly elections continued across the state.

According to the Election Commission of India, Purba Bardhaman reported the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent.

Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded voter turnouts of 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent respectively, while Nadia registered 40.34 per cent.

Amid the ongoing polling, JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said the feedback from the state indicates a "mood of change" among voters and expressed confidence that the results, scheduled to be declared on May 4, will favour the NDA.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Jha said, "We started getting such signals after the first phase of voting... Today, the second phase of voting is ongoing. I think that the result which will come on 4th May will be in favour of NDA."

Will West Bengal CEO Order Repoll Over Alleged EVM Taping in Diamond Harbour?

The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer said that polling booths where any EVM button is found to have been taped will undergo repolling, following allegations raised by the BJP regarding irregularities in Falta under the Diamond Harbour constituency.

Earlier, BJP co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that voters were prevented from choosing the party’s candidate at several polling booths in Falta.

He claimed that in multiple booths, the BJP option was blocked using tape, calling it the "Diamond Harbour Model" and demanding repolling in the affected areas.

In a post on X, Malviya wrote, "This is what Mamata Banerjee was defending when she spoke up for Jehangir Khan, a criminal contesting on a TMC ticket from Falta in Diamond Harbour.”

“In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from exercising their choice. This is the so-called 'Diamond Harbour Model,' the same template that helped Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee secure his Lok Sabha seat,” he added.

In Diamond Harbour, the BJP has fielded Dipak Kumar Halder against TMC’s sitting MLA Panna Lal Halder in a repeat contest.

Panna Lal Halder had defeated the BJP candidate in the previous election by a margin of 16,996 votes, which amounted to 7.6 per cent.

(With inputs from ANI)