Fearless polling in Falta, 20.47% cast their votes till 9 a.m.

Repolling began on Thursday morning in the Falta Assembly constituency of South 24 Parganas under heightened security arrangements following allegations of Electronic Voting Machine tampering during polling held on April 29. The Election Commission ordered fresh polling after invalidating the earlier process, with voting commencing at 7:00 AM across 285 polling stations.

Election authorities significantly increased security deployment across the constituency for the repoll. Around 35 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces were deployed, with eight armed personnel stationed inside each polling booth. The administration also positioned 30 Quick Response Teams across key areas to address any law-and-order situation or complaints related to voter intimidation.

Long queues of voters were seen outside several polling stations from the beginning of the voting process. According to available figures, voter turnout reached 20.47 per cent within the first two hours. Polling officials said the voting process was being conducted under close monitoring to ensure uninterrupted polling across all designated booths.

At several sensitive booths, including Booth No. 252 at Khandalia High School, voters said they were able to cast their ballots peacefully under central force deployment. Some local residents alleged that political intimidation had affected voting in previous years and stated that the current security arrangements had created a safer atmosphere during polling.