Manoj Agarwal Flags Repolling as West Bengal Election 2026 Reaches 89.99%
Manoj Agarwal said west bengal election 2026 could see repolling in booths where EVMs were found to have been tampered with, after turnout in the second phase reached around 89.99% by 5 p.m. on April 29, 2026. The figure covered 3.21 crore electors in a phase that moved through South Bengal and Kolkata.
The second round covered 142 seats across seven districts: North 24 Parganas with 33 seats, South 24 Parganas with 31, Nadia with 17, Howrah with 16, Kolkata with 11, Hooghly with 18 and Purba Bardhaman with 16. Agarwal, the West Bengal CEO, tied any repolling decision to booths where tampering is found.
South Bengal And Kolkata
The second phase drew close attention because it took polling into the Trinamool Congress’s traditional fortresses in South Bengal and Kolkata. The contest included Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, both contesting from Bhabanipur, along with Firhad Hakim in Kolkata Port, Aroop Biswas in Tollygunge, Shashi Panja in Shaympukur and Bratya Basu in Dum Dum.
The turnout level gave election officials a day-end number, but the post-poll period still carried the risk of booth-level scrutiny. Repolling would be triggered only where EVM tampering is found, while the Election Commission said around 700 companies of Central Armed Police Forces would remain deployed across West Bengal after polling.
Manoj Agarwal
An Election Commission official said that continued central force presence was meant to maintain peace and ensure no untoward incidents take place in the post-poll period. For voters, the immediate issue now is whether any booth-level complaints lead to a fresh vote in narrowly affected polling stations rather than across the wider phase.
