Voting has been stopped in few booths in Falta in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour after the BJP claimed voting machines had been tampered with by the Trinamool during the Phase 2 elections. Diamond Harbour in South 24 Paraganas district is a stronghold of Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP has alleged that its button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) has been taped in several polling booths in Falta in South 24 Paraganas’ Diamond Harbour area.
Denying the charge, the Trinamool claimed the BJP is raising a false alarm since it is losing in Bengal. It also slammed the Election Commission and police observer Ajay Pal Sharma, the IPS officer known as “Singham” who the party had earlier accused of threatening their candidate Jehangir Khan.
EC sources had said that if such reports come in, it would be verified and if found true, the booths would go for repolling.
Amit Malviya, the BJP’s media in-charge, has demanded repolling in all affected booths in Falta where he alleged such election malpractices have occurred.
This is what Mamata Banerjee was defending when she spoke up for Jehangir Khan, a criminal contesting on a TMC ticket from Falta in Diamond Harbour.
In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from… pic.twitter.com/sKw3mcdA86
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 29, 2026
“In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from exercising their choice. This is the so-called “Diamond Harbour Model,” the same template that helped Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee secure his Lok Sabha seat,” the BJP leader said in a post.
Malviya also shared videos from one such booth at Harindanga High School in Falta, showing a tape on the third button on the EVM, next to the BJP’s Lotus symbol. Another booth, he claimed, has also been compromised in a similar manner, along with several others.
Read: EVM ‘Glitch’, Violence During Polling, Mamata Banerjee’s “Terrorism” Charge
Hitting back, Trinamool spokesperson Riju Dutta said that Malviya must should complain to his bosses and take up the issue with the Election Commission rather than making online posts.
“The entire thing is under the purview of the Election Commission. What are they doing? Rather than tweeting, Amit Malviya should complain to his bosses to immediately sack (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar. (Police observer) Ajay Pal Sharma should also be suspended because they have not been able to deliver what BJP wanted. What are we supposed to do if there is EVM tampering? It is not under our purview. We are not doing it. What is the EC doing?” Dutta said while speaking to NDTV.
Dutta said that the Trinamool is complaining to the appropriate authority wherever it deems necessary and the BJP must also do the same. “They are crying wolf because they are losing miserably after throwing their entire might at Bengal and Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee had accused the central forces of “acting at the BJP’s behest” and also slammed the BJP for bringing in observers from outside the state to “terrorise” the voters.