Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Wednesday reiterated a strict "zero tolerance" policy towards any irregularities during polling, including allegations of EVM tampering, and said repolling would be conducted wherever required.

Talking to reporters in Kolkata amid voting, Agarwal said that the Election Commission machinery is actively monitoring developments through multiple channels, including webcasting, field reports, and observers’ inputs.

"From wherever we have got the tip, where there are allegations that is another matter, but from the places we have got the right information, from webcasting we have seen here, the District Magistrate has seen from the webcasting, where there are reports from the field, when the observer report comes, therein we have zero tolerance," he said.

He added that the Commission had made its position clear well in advance. "We have said earlier also that wherever we get any kind of EVM tampering, a repoll will be done," Agarwal stated.

Addressing concerns over an incident during the day, the CEO confirmed that a disturbance was reported at one location but was promptly handled by security forces.

"I had heard that an incident had taken place. A quick response team (QRT) reached there, Kolkata Police was there, later Central forces also reached there, and the situation was brought to normal," he said.

He termed such incidents as undesirable, especially on polling day. "These are not good incidents that a crowd will gather at some place. This is not done during the day of elections," Agarwal remarked, underscoring the importance of maintaining order and decorum during the democratic exercise.

On the issue of voter secrecy, Agarwal clarified that strict protocols are in place to ensure that ballots remain confidential. He explained that while CCTV cameras are deployed at polling stations for monitoring purposes, they do not compromise the secrecy of voting.

"For the secrecy of the ballot, when you are going inside the enclosure, then, there is no CCTV or camera. Cameras can only see that you have gone inside the enclosure and are coming out," he said.

He further stressed that the identity of voters and their choices are fully protected under the law. "Whoever votes, it is completely secret. And whoever breaks the law will be jailed for three months or more than that. This is the law of the land," Agarwal added.

Voting across 142 constituencies of the state has been taking place during the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, under tight security arrangements, with authorities keeping a close watch on sensitive areas to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election process.

--IANS

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