‘Ten lifetimes are not enough’: TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee dares BJP to take on Falta in EVM tampering incident

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday lashed out at the BJP and the Election Commission after fresh polls were announced for Falta constituency following reports of “serious electoral irregularities and subversion of the democratic process” during the second phase of polling on April 29.Reacting to a social media post by BJP leader Amit Malviya onBanerjee wrote in a social media post on“Send your strongest, send one of the godfathers of Delhi. If you have the guts, go and compete in Falta,” he added.On Saturday, the pollster announced that a re-poll would be held in Falta on May 21, with the counting date set for May 24.Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal co-chief Amit Malviya claimed that voters were prevented from choosing the party’s candidate at several polling stations in Falta, Diamond Harbor constituency, during the second phase of the assembly elections.Buttons were defaced with black tape and ink, affecting 60 of 285 polling stations – 21 per cent of the precincts. There were 53,967 voters in these polling stations (22.8% of the 236,000 voters).“This compromises the integrity of the recorded vote and makes it impossible to establish authorization,” the EC said, adding that gaps in the video footage meant similar tampering could not be ruled out elsewhere in Falta.This is the first time Bengal has held general constituency voting after the results were announced. In India, only Bihar has priority. The EC said investigation into the complaint revealed widespread tampering of EVMs at several stalls.Meanwhile, the situation in Hasimnagar area in Falta along the Hooghly river corridor is tense with local villagers claiming to be threatened by associates of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan.Ajaypal Sharma, a police observer who oversees the Diamond Harbor subdivision on the city’s southern edge, rushed to the area as residents complained about the inaction.Deployment of state police and central forces have beefed up security. The EC later ordered the arrest of two of Khan’s aides, Izrafil Chokdar and Sujauddin Sheikh. The revocation order removes Falta from Monday’s count, putting more focus on the remaining seats that will determine the next government.