Election Commission

TMC alleges post-poll violence in West Bengal; BJP denies involvement

Incidents of arson and vandalism at offices of the Trinamool Congress were reported across West Bengal on Monday as BJP workers celebrated their landslide victory in the state. Police said TMC offices in Kolkata's Tollygunge and Kasba, in Baruipur, Kamarhati, Baranagar in the suburbs, and in Howrah and Baharampur in the districts were vandalised by mobs since Monday afternoon. An Election Commission official said strict action will be taken against those involved in the rampage and assault, and reports have been sought from the local police to initiate follow-up action. BJP Leader Rahul Sinha, however, rejected the charge that any of his party's workers were involved in vandalism, saying it might be the handiwork of rival factions within the TMC, who were letting out their frustration at party leaders following the election results. At the Bijoygarh-Netajjnagar area in Tollygunge, the election office of TMC candidate and former minister Aroop Biswas was seen vandalised by a mob. So

No victory rallies allowed today after announcement of results: Bengal CEO

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said no rallies celebrating the victory of candidates will be allowed in the state on Monday as the counting of votes for 293 assembly seats was underway. He said the counting is going fine and no violence has been reported in the state. "We have directed all DMs not to allow any victory rallies today. These victory processions will be allowed from tomorrow. We don't want any post-poll violence and appeal to everyone to stay calm and maintain peace," the CEO said. Political parties need to take permission from local police stations to bring out victory rallies, he said. "There has been no incident of violence. Any poll-related death was reported from anywhere in Bengal," Agarwal said. The poll panel was looking into complaints that agents of different parties were unable to reach the counting centres, special observer Subrata Gupta told reporters earlier in the day.

EC orders repoll in 285 booths in Bengal's Falta on May 21; counting May 24

The Commission's decision effectively annuls the earlier voting in the constituency, with fresh polling now scheduled later this month

West Bengal repolls: Nearly 72% voter turnout till 3 pm in 15 booths

Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 3 pm, the turnout was 72.43 per cent

'SC asked ECI to implement circular, didn't dismiss TMC plea': Kapil Sibal

In the Supreme Court, we decided not to challenge the circular, instead urged the court to implement the circular, said Kapil Sibal while addressing a press conference

'No further order needed': SC on TMC plea against EC order on vote counting

The Supreme Court on Saturday said no further order was necessary on the TMC's plea challenging the Calcutta High Court's dismissal of its petition against an Election Commission circular on the deployment of central government personnel for vote counting in West Bengal. A special bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi said the Election Commission (EC) can choose counting personnel and its April 13 circular cannot be said to be incorrect. The poll body said the circular is very clear that there will be a mix of central and state government employees and the apprehension of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of any wrongdoing is misplaced. The EC assured the court that the circular would be implemented in letter and spirit. At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the TMC, said the circular was dated April 13, but they came to know about it on April 29. The bench, which held a special sitting, said that the EC can choose counting personnel from only one pool

TMC alleges unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers, files complaint

The TMC on Saturday said it has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at an EVM strongroom in Kolkata. TMC workers, who have been camping outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleged that eight trunks of postal ballots were brought in at 4 am and were taken to a room, which has no CCTV coverage. "We have been demanding that every single millimetre of space where EVMs and postal ballots be under CCTV surveillance. But as these trunks were taken inside, it was clear that they were taken to a room not under CCTV cover. Why should this happen," a TMC member asked. Voting machines from several assembly segments of northern and eastern Kolkata are stored at the strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. As TMC activists were demonstrating, BJP's Shyampukur candidate Purnima Chakraborty reached the spot with her supporters, escalating tensions. Both sides started shouting slogans as police stood between them, attempting to b

WB polls: Voting underway at 15 booths in South 24 Parganas after EC order

Voting began on Saturday at 15 booths in two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, where the Election Commission ordered repolls a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices, an official said. The repolls were ordered in 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said. Polling in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29. The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said. The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Dimanod Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gup

EC orders repolling in 15 polling booths in West Bengal on Saturday

The Election Commission on Friday ordered repolling on May 2 in 15 polling stations in West Bengal, where voting was held on April 29 in the second phase of the assembly elections. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal, the Election Commission (EC) said the repolling has been ordered based on inputs received from the state poll machinery and voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. While 11 polling stations are in the Magarhat Paschim assembly constituency, four are in Diamond Harbour. A report about complaints relating to the Falta constituency is awaited. A large number of complaints was received from the constituency. This is the first time that repolling has been ordered in the present set of assembly polls in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. No repolling was recommended in the first phase of the West Bengal polls held on April 23.

No scope for wrongdoing at counting centres: West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Friday asserted there is no scope for wrongdoing at the counting centres, stating that round-the-clock CCTV monitoring of strong rooms was in place. TMC spokesperson and Beleghata constituency candidate Kunal Ghosh said that party workers and poll aspirants were keeping a vigil at the counting centres, where the EVMs are stored in strong rooms, as per the direction of party supremo Mamata Banerjee. "There is no scope for any wrongdoing given the arrangements made," CEO Manoj Agarwal told reporters. Stating that round-the-clock CCTV monitoring of the strong rooms is underway, he said people can watch the monitors from outside. "One should have reason and evidence for making allegations," he said, maintaining that the complaints are baseless. A senior police officer said enhanced security arrangements have been made at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several assembly seats in north and east Kolkata housing

Calcutta HC rejects plea against EC order on central staff for vote count

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea challenging the Election Commission's directive to deploy central government and PSU employees for vote counting in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Polling for the 294-member Assembly was held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4. Dismissing the petition, Justice Krishna Rao held that there was no illegality in the EC's decision to appoint counting supervisors and assistants from central government or PSU employees instead of state government staff. "It is the prerogative of the office of the EC to appoint the counting supervisor and counting assistant either from the state government or the central government," the court observed. The petition was filed by the TMC, which challenged an April 30 communication issued by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, stating that at least one of the counting supervisor or assistant at each table should be a central government or PSU ...

West Bengal records 92.47% turnout in polls, highest since Independence

West Bengal has registered a record 92.47 per cent voter turnout in the two-phase Assembly polls, the highest in the state since Independence, the Election Commission said on Wednesday. In 2013, Tripura had recorded the highest ever voter turnout in an Assembly election at 93.61 per cent. As of 7.45 pm, poll participation in West Bengal in Phase II of the Assembly elections stood at 91.66 per cent. In Phase I of the elections on April 23, the poll participation was 93.19 per cent. "The combined poll percentage over the two phases stands at 92.47 per cent," the poll watchdog said. West Bengal has a voter base of 6.81 crore. Previously, the highest voter turnout in the state was 84.72 per cent in the 2011 Assembly polls. In Phase II, the participation of women electors was marginally higher compared to men. According to the Election Commission (EC), 92.28 per cent of the total women electors voted as compared to 91.07 per cent of men. Commenting on the impressive voter turnout, C

EC directs police to take action over objectionable post targeting WB CM

The Election Commission on Monday directed the police to take stern action over an objectionable social media post, allegedly targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, officials said. Sharing a screenshot of the objectionable post, the TMC had claimed on Sunday night that a "self-proclaimed 'right-wing nationalist' from UP and a BJP supporter" had made the "vile, insulting, filthy, and highly objectionable caricature of Hon'ble Mamata Banerjee" on social media. It said the post was taken down following a formal complaint. An EC official said necessary directions have been issued to the police to ensure prompt action. "We have taken serious note of it and instructed the police to initiate immediate action. The matter was brought to our attention, and necessary directions have been issued to ensure action," he said. Meanwhile, TMC member Nilanjan Das lodged a complaint with the cybercrime unit of the Bidhannagar Police regarding the matter. Police said an investigation

ECI set to release exact voter turnout for 234-seat TN Assembly polls

The Election Commission is all set to release the exact number of persons who have exercised their franchise in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, on Saturday. The voter turnout figures will include details of gender divisions: male, female and transgender. The single-phase elections to the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly were held on April 23, and the counting of votes will be held on May 4. In addition, the ECI authorities here will be inspecting all the strong rooms where the EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units are kept. A senior ECI official here said that the 85.15 per cent voter turnout figures, released on the date of polling, are not final and they are based on data received from a subset of polling stations. He said the actual number of votes polled at each polling station is formally recorded in Form 17C, which will be cross-verified with the data in the ECI headquarters. The poll authorities have begun scrutinising the total number of voters since Frida

EC orders suspension of 5 police officers over 'misconduct' during WB polls

The Election Commission has directed the West Bengal government to suspend five police officials in Diamond Harbour and initiate disciplinary action against them, for "serious misconduct" and allegedly failing to maintain neutrality during the assembly polls, officials said on Saturday. In a communication to the state chief secretary, the poll panel said the action followed a report submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal about the conduct of police personnel. The officers to be suspended are Additional Superintendent of Police Sandip Garai, SDPO Sajal Mondal, Diamond Harbour police station's inspector-in-charge Mausam Chakraborty, Falta police station inspector-in-charge Ajay Bag and Usthi police station officer-in-charge Subhechha Bag. "After considering the facts and circumstances of the matter, the commission directs that these officers may be suspended forthwith and disciplinary proceedings be initiated for their serious misconduct and failure to maintain

No repoll recommended in any polling stations of Tamil Nadu, Bengal: EC

The EC on Friday said no repoll has been recommended in any of the 44,376 polling stations in West Bengal where voting was held during the first phase on April 23, indicating largely peaceful conduct of the exercise. According to a senior Election Commission official, the polling process was completed without any major disruption that would warrant fresh voting at any booth. "No repoll has been recommended in any of the 44,376 polling stations of West Bengal where polls were held on Thursday," the official told PTI. The Commission said reports received from the ground did not flag any significant irregularities affecting the integrity of the voting process. The official added that standard scrutiny mechanisms, including inputs from observers and field reports, were carefully reviewed before arriving at the decision. The first phase of polling in the state covered 152 constituencies across 16 districts, achieving a record 92.6 per cent of voter turnout amid the deployment of centra

EC issues fresh post-poll guidelines for Bengal assembly elections

The Election Commission issued a fresh set of post-poll guidelines for the West Bengal assembly elections, laying down strict protocols for handling surveillance cameras and video data after voting concludes, a senior official said. Under the new guidelines issued on Thursday, SD cards used in polling booth cameras cannot be removed immediately after voting ends, and officials concerned will only be permitted to dismount the cameras, which must then remain under the sector officer's supervision, he said. "The SD cards can be removed only at the designated data collection and receiving centre in the presence of the Assistant Returning Officer," he said. All video footage captured during polling must be securely and systematically preserved, the election official said. "No member of the polling party or Booth Level Officer (BLO) can leave the polling station until the camera equipment has been fully dismounted," he said. Meanwhile, a trial run of webcasting for the second phase of .

Clashes, assault on candidates mar phase-I of Bengal polls, EC seeks report

Sporadic incidents of violence and assaults on candidates marred polling in parts of West Bengal on Thursday as the first phase of the Assembly elections progressed across 152 constituencies, prompting the Election Commission to seek reports from trouble-hit pockets. The state recorded a brisk voter turnout of over 41 per cent till 11 am on Thursday, reflecting a strong early participation. In Murshidabad's Naoda, clashes broke out between supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and the ruling TMC, prompting police and central forces to resort to baton charge to disperse mobs, officials said. The violence in Shibnagar village followed a tense morning after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir visited a polling booth, triggering protests by TMC supporters who raised slogans and surrounded his vehicle, branding him a "BJP agent". As the situation escalated, rival groups allegedly hurled stones and bricks, leading to a law and order situation. Several vehicles were vandalised in the .

Strong rooms, unsealed rooms shouldn't be opened under any circumstance: EC

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued clear directions to all District Election Officers and Returning Officers in Kerala not to open any strong rooms under any circumstances before the day the votes are counted. The direction was issued by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar following reports of a strong room storing EVMs in Perambra constituency in Kozhikode being opened on Monday, and reported plans to open another one in Nenmara constituency in Palakkad. "It has been reiterated that under no circumstances shall any strong rooms or unsealed rooms be opened or accessed for the purpose of preparing Index Cards or verifying data in the ENCORE portal. "All concerned officers have been directed to ensure strict compliance with these instructions to safeguard the integrity, transparency, and security of the electoral process," a statement issued by Kelkar's office said. On Monday, the Kozhikode district administration had clarified that no strong room was opened. Colle

Opposition plans to move notice seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Undeterred by the rejection of their earlier notices, opposition parties are planning a fresh move to seek the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, sources said on Saturday. According to highly placed sources, leaders from several opposition parties are in talks, and at least five senior MPs from different parties -- including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK -- are working on drafting a new notice to initiate removal proceedings. It has, however, not yet been decided which House the notice would be moved in, or whether it would be introduced in both Houses as was done last time, the source added. Buoyed by the defeat of The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha on Friday, opposition leaders are aiming to secure more MPs' signatures on the notice and are looking at garnering at least 200, the source said. "We want to make a statement. We first need to prove that the number last time was underestimated," the sour