Kolkata/NewDelhi: With only two days left for counting in the West Bengal Assembly elections, a political flashpoint has emerged over electronic voting machines, strong room access and ballot handling, with both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Election Commission of India standing firm on their positions.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Bhabanipur strong room in Kolkata late Thursday (April 30) night and said her party would resist any attempt to tamper with EVMs or the counting process. The TMC chief, who is contesting against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, said her visit was prompted by reports coming in from different parts of the state.
She said there was a strong room where EVMs were kept and her party had received messages that manipulation was taking place in several areas. She added that after seeing CCTV footage on television, she decided to visit the site herself. She accused the central forces of initially did not allowing her to enter, though election rules permit candidates and their agents to go up to the sealed room.
Mamata also raised concerns over what she described as a biased approach by the Election Commission. She said one of her party agents had been arrested and claimed there had been one-sided actions. She warned that if anyone tried to steal EVMs or interfere with counting, her party would strongly fight it.
At the same time, she urged people to maintain peace and harmony and expressed confidence about the outcome, saying victory was certain.
The TMC repeated this on social media, stating that Bengal would not accept interference from leaders it described as outsiders from Delhi and Gujarat. The party said any wrongdoing or pressure tactics would be answered through the democratic process once results are declared.
Exit polls and voter turnout
Most exit polls have projected a tough outcome for the TMC, with several suggesting that the BJP could form the government in the state. Chanakya Strategies estimated that the BJP could win between 150 and 160 seats in the 294-member assembly, while the TMC could get 30 to 40 seats and others between six and ten.
The elections also recorded very high voter participation. According to the Election Commission, turnout in second phase stood at 91.66 per cent till 7:45 pm. In the first phase, which was held on April 23, the turnout was recorded at 93.19 per cent. The combined turnout across both phases reached 92.47 per cent, the highest ever in the state, crossing the previous record of 84.72 per cent set in 2011.
Female voter turnout stood at 92.28 per cent, slightly higher than male turnout at 91.07 per cent.
Election Commission rejects allegations
Following the allegations, officials from the poll watchdog said that all strong rooms are safely secured and sealed. They rejected TMC’s claims about ballot boxes being opened without the presence of party representatives.
Referring to a video circulated on social media, the officials said there were seven assembly constituency strong rooms inside the Kgudiram Anushilan Kendra, and all had been sealed in the presence of candidates, election agents and observers after polling ended. The last strong room, they said, was sealed early in the morning at around 5:15 am.
They explained there is a separate strong room for postal ballots, where ballots have been kept constituency-wise. They said that what was being seen was routine segregation of postal ballots, which was taking place in the corridor outside the main strong rooms. They added that the main strong rooms are locked and secure, and this was shown to TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh as well as BJP representatives.
They also said that returning officers had informed political parties through official communication about the process and that all observers were kept in the loop.
Protest, counterclaims and political clash
The controversy intensified after the TMC alleged that the BJP, allegedly in collusion with the Election Commission, was opening ballot boxes without stakeholders present and called it a serious electoral violation. The party shared a video on X and said the footage showed ballot boxes being opened without transparency.
Senior TMC leaders Panja and Ghosh staged a protest outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium. The latter said that live CCTV footage showed people working inside without any TMC representative present and claimed they were not being allowed to enter. He said the party would take further steps after reviewing the situation.
Panja said there were shortcomings in the system and questioned who was inside the strong room, saying they should have clear information about what was happening.
The BJP rejected these claims. Party leader Tapas Roy said the TMC was spreading rumours and trying to prepare a narrative ahead of a possible defeat. He said there was a three-layer security system in place and added that the BJP would also deploy two people to monitor the strong room.
Raising questions about equal access, TMC leaders, however, said BJP members had entered the premises while their own representatives were stopped. They also said protests were peaceful until BJP leaders arrived and created tension at the site.
Later, Kunal Ghosh said the dharna had been called off after talks with officials. He said the Election Commission had agreed that no strong room would be opened without proper information being shared. He also said more CCTV cameras would be installed and the footage would be displayed more clearly. At the same time, he said the incident should not have happened and raised questions about why there was resistance when they objected.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply