New Delhi: In a rare move, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday ordered a "fresh" election in all the 285 polling stations of the Falta Assembly seat in West Bengal on May 21 due to "subversion of democratic process".

A spokesperson for the poll panel said the decision covers the entire constituency. It is rare for the poll authority to order a re-election in an entire Assembly seat.

The order follows concerns flagged by the Commission, leading to the full re-poll exercise being directed across all polling stations in Falta. 

Counting scheduled for May 24

The Election Commission spokesperson confirmed that counting of votes for the Falta Assembly constituency will take place on May 24.

The broader West Bengal Assembly election counting for remaining seats is scheduled for May 4. The state elections were conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

Earlier re-poll orders in select seats

On Friday, the EC had already ordered a re-election in 15 polling stations across two Assembly constituencies in West Bengal — Diamond Harbour and Magarhat Paschim.

The Commission’s decisions come amid ongoing post-poll processes across the state following the completion of voting in all phases.