Assembly Elections 2026 Repoll Begins in South 24 Parganas

Voting began on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in parts of West Bengal after the Election Commission ordered repolling at 15 polling booths in South 24 Parganas district. These repolls were called after reports of irregularities and problems during voting on the previous day.

The affected booths are spread across two Assembly constituencies. Out of the 15 polling stations, 11 are in the Magrahat Paschim constituency and 4 are in Diamond Harbour. Voting started early in the morning at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to continue until 6 p.m.

These areas had already voted on April 29 as part of the second phase of the state elections. However, due to reported issues during that process, the Election Commission decided that voting should be held again in these specific booths to ensure fairness.

At the same time, political tensions have increased around the repolling. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to create disturbances during the voting process. She claimed that some actions were meant to trigger more repolling and harm the image of West Bengal’s election system.

Panja also raised concerns after meeting the Additional Chief Electoral Officer. She said there were reports of CCTV cameras not working properly in some strong rooms, where EVMs are kept. She demanded more transparency and stronger monitoring to ensure free and fair elections.

Overall, the repolling is being closely watched, with both political parties exchanging allegations while officials try to maintain order and fairness in the voting process.