Perfume on EVM buttons, gum on cameras? EC warns of repoll over poll malpractice in Bengal

Kolkata: In a strong move ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) has warned of immediate repolling in any booth where intimidation or sabotage tactics are reported.

The warning comes amid recurring allegations of unusual methods used to influence voters.

In the past, voters have claimed they were threatened with statements such as: “We will know whom you voted for because perfume has been applied to EVM buttons.” Others have alleged that miscreants attempted to disrupt surveillance by sticking chewing gum on webcasting cameras inside booths.

Taking note of such practices, the EC has made it clear that any such incident, whether voter intimidation or deliberate tampering with monitoring systems, will lead to repolling at the affected booth.

On Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal chaired a high-level meeting with top state officials, including Chief Secretary Dushmanta Nariala, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, senior police officials, and representatives from power and electricity distribution agencies.

A key focus of the meeting was to ensure an uninterrupted power supply during polling. Authorities have been instructed to prevent load shedding in poll-bound areas before and after voting. In case of adverse weather or technical faults, immediate restoration measures must be taken. Plans are also in place to deploy generators at select booths and sector offices for emergency backup.

The EC has identified 642 locations across the state as ‘shadow zones’ due to poor network connectivity. Hilly regions like Darjeeling and Kalimpong are expected to face the most challenges.

Telecom operators have been directed to strengthen infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted webcasting during polling.

Further, the Commission has mandated that installation of cameras at polling booths begin at least seven days before voting, with live webcasting to start two days before polling.

Security arrangements have also been significantly scaled up. For the first phase covering 152 Assembly constituencies, a total of 2,404 companies of central forces will be deployed.

Murshidabad will see the highest deployment with 316 companies, followed by Purba Medinipur (273), Paschim Medinipur (272), Bankura (193), Birbhum (176), Malda (172), Cooch Behar (146), and Uttar Dinajpur (132).

Each polling booth will be guarded by armed central forces along with a lathi-wielding police personnel, as the EC looks to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections across the state.