EVM Glitches, Tampering Allegations and ‘Chappa’ Claims Mark Phase II of West Bengal Polls

MP, April 30, 2026, Kolkata : Kolkata: Malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units disrupted polling across West Bengal during the final phase of Assembly elections on Wednesday, delaying the start of voting—scheduled for 7 am—in several booths and halting it in others.

Across Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and Purba Bardhaman, glitches were reported from early morning, with polling in many booths starting late or being interrupted multiple times.

In North 24 Parganas, repeated malfunctions were reported from Baranagar, Habra and Hingalganj, while Bongaon South (booths 46, 47, 48) saw simultaneous disruptions. At Hingalganj (booth 243), polling remained suspended for nearly four hours.

In South 24 Parganas, polling was temporarily halted in Kakdwip (booth 142) and Patharpratima (booth 57). In Howrah, Domjur (17 booths) and Sankrail (13 booths) reported widespread delays, while disruptions at booths 152, 153 and 154 at a school in Bally triggered protests, prompting intervention by Central forces and the detention of two persons.

Kolkata reported delayed polling at a booth in Bagbazar, leading to long queues. In Hooghly, disruptions were reported from Champdani, Tarakeswar and Arambagh, with multiple booths affected in each constituency. In Nadia, interruptions were reported across Ranaghat, Kalyani, Chakdah and Tehatta.

In Purba Bardhaman, delays were reported from Kalna, Monteswar and Bhatar, each with multiple booths affected. At Khandaghosh (booth 101), an elderly voter fell on an EVM, causing it to stop functioning.

In the Rajarhat-Gopalpur constituency in North 24 Parganas, glitches in booths 189 and 170 delayed polling and led to long queues. Outgoing Barasat MLA Chiranjeet Chakraborty and BJP candidate from Nabadwip, Shruti Shekhar Goswami, were unable to vote initially due to faulty machines.

Allegations of EVM tampering surfaced from multiple locations. In Falta (booth 177), the BJP alleged that its party symbol was covered with tape. In Monteswar (booth 35), the Trinamool candidate made a similar claim. In Minakhan (booth 41), an ISF candidate alleged that adhesive had been applied to a button linked to his party symbol.

Sporadic allegations of bogus voting (chappa) were reported from Nadia and Purba Bardhaman. In Krishnanagar North (booth 211), a voter alleged that she was told her vote had already been cast. A similar complaint came from Purbasthali II.