Bengal’s Closest Battle Sparks EVM Row After Muslim-Dominated Booth Swings BJP Win

A razor-thin electoral contest in West Bengal’s Rajarhat New Town constituency has exploded into a major political controversy after an unexpected voting pattern in a Muslim-majority booth helped hand the Piyush Kanodia-led BJP a dramatic late victory, triggering allegations of counting irregularities and renewed attacks on the credibility of the election process.

The constituency emerged as one of the most fiercely contested seats in the state elections, where several races were decided by margins of just a few thousand votes. But Rajarhat New Town stood apart because the final outcome reportedly shifted only after an additional counting round involving a booth from Musalman Para, an area known for its overwhelming Muslim population.

The BJP eventually secured the seat by just 316 votes over Trinamool Congress candidate Tapash Chatterjee, despite the constituency initially appearing to lean towards the TMC during earlier rounds of counting.

What has intensified the controversy is the claim that nearly 97 per cent of votes from one booth in Musalman Para allegedly went in favour of the BJP — an outcome that opposition leaders argue sharply contradicts the demographic and historical voting pattern of the area.

The development has fuelled accusations from senior All India Trinamool Congress leaders, who have openly questioned the transparency of the counting process and accused authorities of mishandling the final rounds. Party MP Sagarika Ghose alleged that the counting sequence itself was irregular and claimed the election outcome was manipulated after a delayed counting exercise altered the final trend.

The issue escalated further after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan publicly raised the possibility of electronic voting machine manipulation or discrepancies between recorded and declared votes, adding another layer to the growing political storm.

At the heart of the dispute lies Booth No. 164 in Musalman Para, where opposition leaders claim counting procedures were not conducted in the standard sequence during the May 4 tallying process. Questions are now being raised about whether procedural lapses, delayed rounds or administrative decisions may have influenced the final outcome in one of Bengal’s closest electoral battles.

The controversy comes at a politically sensitive moment after the BJP registered a sweeping victory in West Bengal, ending years of Trinamool dominance and dramatically reshaping the state’s political landscape. While the saffron party celebrated its breakthrough performance, opposition parties have increasingly focused on specific constituencies where margins were exceptionally narrow and counting disputes surfaced.

Political analysts say the Rajarhat episode reflects a larger post-election narrative now emerging in Bengal — one where the battle is shifting from campaign rallies to questions over electoral management, booth-level data and institutional trust.

With allegations surrounding counting procedures now dominating political discourse, pressure is mounting on election authorities to provide detailed clarification on the disputed rounds and restore confidence in the integrity of the process.