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Early in the morning, onlookers at Tarabari Primary School saw a man, calmy standing outside. It was a typical summer day, and he was drenched in sweat. Still, he didn’t move

Image for representation (Photo: PTI file)
What was supposed to be a usual polling day in West Bengal turned into chaos after a man staked out a polling station in Phansidewa’s Tarabari, under the Matigara-Naxalbari assembly segment in Siliguri subdivision.
He waited there for hours — just to intercept his wife, who had eloped with another man two years ago, according to a report by the Times of India.
He had reasoned correctly, speculating she would arrive at the polling booth to cast her vote. And so, he waited.
Early in the morning, onlookers at Tarabari Primary School saw a man, calmy standing outside, speaking to no one. It was a typical summer day, and he was drenched in sweat. Still, he didn’t move.
Hours passed, he stayed at the polling station.
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When The Wife Arrived
According to the TOI report, a woman arrived at the polling booth around 2 P.M. to cast her vote. And that is when the man moved, inching towards her.
As he went near her, he pulled her hair and wrapped his arms around her from behind. The two started struggling, prompting the CAPF personnel to intervene.
The officials freed the woman, while the man kept shouting and cursing.
A Reunion Due To SIR
Later, it was learned that the woman was his wife, who had eloped with her partner two years ago.
He had calculated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — which led to widespread panic over deletion of voters’ names from the electoral rolls — would drive her to the polling booth.
According to the TOI report, the man demanded that the CAPF personnel not allow his wife to cast her vote, until his name was removed from her EPIC card as her husband.
However, the officials ensured the woman cast her vote, later escorting her out of the area.
West Bengal, India, India
April 25, 2026, 13:53 IST
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