EC to order repoll if EVM tampering allegations proved true in Bengal, says CEO

West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Wednesday said the Election Commission will order repoll in booths where allegations of EVM tampering using tapes or ink are found to be true, asserting that the poll panel has a ''zero tolerance'' policy against such offences. The CEO said that a repoll will be ordered only after the authorities examine reports from the district election officer or election observers on allegations of tampering with EVMs using tapes or blot of ink. Agarwal's statement came following allegations by the BJP that the party's symbols on EVMs were covered with tapes or ink in certain booths during the second and final phase of polling, which is underway. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a video on X, claiming that white tape had been placed on the party's symbol in booth numbers 144 and 189 in the Falta assembly seat, and demanded a re-poll. ''Wherever we got tapes (on EVMs) or any form of tampering with the EVMs, we will conduct a repoll. We will follow a zero-tolerance policy,'' Agarwal told reporters. He said that preliminary checks have not indicated any tampering during the handling of machines by polling officials, including mock polls. ''If a large number of booths in any assembly constituency report such instances, we will conduct a repoll in the entire constituency. I do not have the exact number (where allegations were raised),'' he said. According to standard operating procedures, the EVMs are the responsibility of the central paramilitary forces, the CEO said. Agarwal said that the alleged acts might have occurred during voting. ''It seems that when people are going to cast the votes, they are pasting these tapes on the machines. It is not that we will not be able to find it out. We will check how much time people spent while casting votes,'' he said. Those found guilty will face the strictest possible punishment as per the law, the CEO said. The Commission has not yet confirmed the authenticity of the video shared by Malviya, but said that ground reports are being examined. Responding to the allegation by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about ''excessive activism'' by police and central forces in parts of her Bhabanipur constituency, Agarwal said security personnel acted as per their assessment. ''We cannot say what the police are doing. It is the police's job to assess the situation and decide where to go to prevent unrest. They must have had some input, which is why they moved. The responsibility of conducting a free and fair election also lies with the police,'' he said. The Election Commission said it has received 2,196 complaints of various types so far from the 142 assembly constituencies where polls were held on Wednesday. In the first phase, voting was held in 152 seats on April 23. Results will be announced on May 4.

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