‘Taped’ EVM takes centre stage over ‘Singham-Pushpa’ war

Kolkata: Falta in South 24 Parganas woke up on the polling day under the shadow of a face-off that never came. One man moved relentlessly across the constituency while the other stayed stationed in a single room, monitoring every activity from a distance.What came instead were EVM complaints. In one instance, a tape was found stuck on the BJP candidate's name on the EVM. "Maximum complaints were from Falta. Among 32 complaints, 20 were verified and so a repoll will be held there," Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal said. Across Bengal, 77 complaints were received.In the days leading up to the election, the constituency had been primed for confrontation. An encounter specialist from UP had been cast as ‘Singham' and a political satrap had stepped into the role of ‘Pushpa'. Their near encounters, the charged political rhetoric had set expectations for a dramatic election day.By 7 am, IPS Ajay Pal Sharma was already on the move. His convoy, more than 10-vehicle strong, cut through the narrow roads. For the next two hours, he traversed pockets of Falta. At intervals, the convoy would slow, security personnel stepping out instead, dispersing clusters of people gathering near booths. Inside the vehicle, Sharma remained glued to his phone."Sir is avoiding media glare for now. His face is on all channels, so he is keeping a low profile," said a central force personnel. "But if any voter faces any trouble, he will be there to help."Across Falta, fear hung in the air. Villages were lined with central forces, armoured vehicles stationed at crossings, convoys snaking through narrow roads. Outside polling booths, long queues formed as voters waited patiently under the watchful gaze of armed personnel.Even before Sharma's convoy rolled out, Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan had taken position. At his party office in Belsingha Shaharhat, Khan began his day early, settling into what aides called his "control room". For over 12 hours, he would barely move. Workers streamed in and out, relaying booth-level updates, while Khan stayed fixed between television screens and his mobile phone. "He was receiving constant feedback from workers across Falta," said an aide. "Even if they send 100 such Singhams, Pushpa jhukega nahi. Pushpa will grow stronger," said Khan, returning to the rhetoric that had set up the contest.Apart from minor skirmishes, polling in Falta remained largely incident-free, a fact that seemed to bolster confidence inside Khan's office. Seated indoors, Khan appeared calm. As turnout rose through the afternoon and queues lengthened outside booths, his mood stayed steady, said his aides. "Barring a few moments, he was relaxed while speaking to workers," said another aide. The much-hyped ‘Singham vs Pushpa' confrontation, built over days of warnings, counter-warning and near encounters, never happened.
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