Chaos in Howrah over 'EVM glitch'; CRPF drag away voters
What's the story
Chaos erupted outside a polling booth in Howrah, West Bengal, as a few people were dragged away from the area by CRPF personnel during voting. According to voters, polling only began about 8.30am after three unsuccessful attempts due to repeated EVM malfunction. They said that several persons attempted to disrupt the voting process and were removed by security forces.
Twitter Post
Video shows chaos
#WATCH | Howrah, WB: A voter, Mayur Jain says, "We have been standing here since 7 am. There was some chaos and we were told that the machine was malfunctioning. A new machine was brought here and that too faced glitches. So, we were stopped from voting thrice. Then they closed… pic.twitter.com/w1GOCO2VLV
— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2026
Voter
'Saw someone getting beaten'
Describing what happened, a voter, who has been in line since 7:00am said they were initially told that the machine was malfunctioning. But even after a new machine was brought in, they couldn't cast their vote, as that too faced glitches. "So, we were stopped from voting thrice." "I heard a lot of shouting inside....After half an hour we saw someone, who wanted to create chaos here, was beaten up and carried away. So, voting finally began at 8:30am."
Election chaos
Clash breaks out in Bally over alleged EVM glitch
Similar reports of EVM glitches were also reported in other parts of Bengal. The BJP candidate in Panihati claimed there was "some problem" with pressing the EVM button. "I feel there is some problem with the press button on the EVM. It is taking time to press it, I will inform the officer...," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Security response
Security tightened across Bengal amid violence
Voting for the final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections began at 7:00am under tight security. The state is voting across 142 constituencies with over 1,448 candidates in the fray. Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta said almost 2,400 companies of CAPF were deployed to maintain peace and security. "We are prepared for the worst," Gupta said, adding that CCTV cameras have been installed at strong room entry points and each polling booth is manned by four security personnel.