Voting is underway for the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of a major election malpractice in the stronghold of Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP has alleged that its lotus symbol was ‘blocked using a tape’ in several polling booths in Falta in the Diamond Harbour area.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted a video showing the EVM with tape on the BJP symbol. "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," the caption of the post read.
“‘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.
Malviya demanded an immediate re-election in all affected booths in Falta where such incidents have occurred, sharing details of booths where such incidents have taken place.
EC Responds
The West Bengal Election Commissioner responded to the claims and assured that reports of button-tampering will be thoroughly verified, adding that if found to be true, the affected booths will undergo repolling, reported news agency ANI.
Earlier on Wednesday, a video shared by BJP West Bengal on X showed Ajay Pal Sharma, UP’s encounter specialist deployed in West Bengal as a police observer in South 24 Parganas, issuing a stern warning to Falta TMC candidate Jehangir Khan, saying he would be ‘dealt with properly’ if his people continued to ‘threaten’ voters in the constituency ahead of the second phase of voting.
Jahangir Khan reponds
Responding to the officer’s warning, Jahangir Khan said, “Around 3 pm yesterday, he came and tried to threaten my security at this party office. Then he went and tried to threaten my family. Is this the duty of a police observer? If he has to say something, he has to tell the SP or IC. There is no rule of the ECI that says that a police observer can go and threaten people at their houses,” he said while speaking to news agency IANS.
"To aid BJP these people are doing illegal things. They are trying to threatened TMC workers and leaders because they know that they won't win but we are not afraid." he added.
