NEW DELHI: Streets of Kolkata witnessed a showdown between the Election Commission and Trinamool Congress days after the West Bengal assembly polls, as the latter staged a sit-in protest alleging irregularities inside strongrooms housing EVMs.Alleging procedural lapses, TMC leaders claimed party workers stationed outside the strongroom were asked to leave in the afternoon and later received information that the strongroom would be reopened at 4 pm.Speaking on the incident, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Party workers and supporters were present outside the strongroom till 3.30 pm. Suddenly, an email was sent informing that the strongroom would be opened again at 4 pm. We contacted our workers and they said they had left. We then rushed here. Now we are not being allowed to enter. BJP is being invited.”In a post on X, the TMC described the “act” as a “murder of democracy in broad daylight”, accusing Bharatiya Janata Party of colluding with the Election Commission to tamper with ballot boxes and EVMs during the ongoing poll process.In a strongly worded statement, the party claimed that CCTV footage showed ballot boxes being opened without the presence of authorised representatives of political parties, terming it “gross electoral fraud”.The TMC further alleged that attempts such as voter intimidation, deletion of names and misuse of central forces had failed, prompting the BJP to resort to “desperate measures” like tampering with EVMs.“CCTV footage has exposed how BJP, in active collusion with the @ECISVEEP, is opening ballot boxes without the presence of any relevant party stakeholders. This is gross electoral fraud being committed openly with the full knowledge and protection of the Election Commission,” TMC posted.Mamata reaches counting centreThe situation further escalated after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee reached the counting centre for the Bhabanipur assembly segment, braving torrential rains in the city.Claiming that her party received reports of EVM tampering in many parts of the state, Mamata said, “There is a strongroom here for EVMs. We found that in many places, manipulation is taking place. When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought I should also go and see it. Initially, the Central Forces wouldn’t let me enter. But according to our election rules, the candidate and election agent of any party are allowed up to the sealed room.”The chief minister also urged citizens to maintain peace and harmony during this crucial time. “Victory is certain,” she said.“Bengal refuses to bow to the Bohiragotos of Delhi and Gujarat, who seek to subjugate a people whose soul they can never understand. Every act of wrongdoing against our people, every overreach, and every heavy-handed tactic by the BJP and their Central Forces will be answered. Once the results are in, every transgression will be paid for in full through the ruthless power of the democratic process,” the TMC wrote on X.BJP counters TMC’s sit-in protestThe TMC’s protest was countered by the BJP after its leaders from Maniktala and Chowrangee reached the spot. They also confronted senior police officers on why TMC workers were allowed to gather and raise slogans at a sensitive venue.BJP leaders present at the venue alleged that the TMC was “cooking up a false narrative and lying to the people”.“I learnt about the commotion and rushed to this place and found TMC supporters howling outside the venue, which they cannot do in a sensitive place like this. They shouldn’t have been allowed to gather here. They verbally abused us,” Tapas Roy said.“I heard the District Election Officer took the TMC candidates inside to show nothing was wrong at the strongrooms,” he added.BJP workers also blocked the movement of a TMC vehicle, alleging it was carrying suspicious items.“There is something in the vehicle. Mamata Banerjee has brought something in her vehicle. The vehicle will not be allowed to move,” one worker claimed.Another BJP worker said, “They (TMC) will put duplicate machines and tamper with them… What is the vehicle of TMC doing outside the counting centre?”EC rejects chargesWest Bengal chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, however, said that EVMs strong rooms are “safe and secure” and asserted that there is no “controversy” in the incident.“No CCTV was turned off. CCTV footage of all 8 strong rooms there, 7 of EVMs and 1 of the postal ballot, is being telecast. Political parties’ people can sit beyond the three-layer security and see this. They saw some movement around 4 pm when our staff was opening the postal ballot room as per the rules. As per the rule, all political parties were informed, and all candidates were informed by the RO (returning officer),” Agarwal told news agency ANI. “They should have come here…After 4 pm, 3 candidates had come, and they saw everything that the EVMs’ strong rooms were sealed while the postal ballot’s strong room was open. The 3 then left,” Agarwal said.“There will be no law and order situation. These things happen. The law and order situation is fine. Counting will be 100% neat and clean just like the elections were,” he added.Agarwal asserted that the poll body has “nothing to hide”, stressing that they would not allow any “trouble” to take place in the polling procedures.In an apparent reference to the video posted by Trinamool Congress on its X handle, the officials said that all strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. They noted that there was routine segregation of postal ballots.HC rejects TMC’s pleaIn another development, the Calcutta high court also rejected the TMC’s plea challenging the Election Commission of India’s directive to deploy central government and PSU employees for vote counting.The court upheld the validity of the decision requiring central government/PSU employees to serve as supervisors and assistants, and dismissed the writ petition.It observed that any grievance can be raised via an election petition under Section 100 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.Earlier, Mamata had alleged that “observers from outside” and police officers unfamiliar with Bengal were being deployed in a manner targeting TMC workers during Phase II of polling.SIR fears dominated Bengal elections and is believed to be the reason behind Bengal’s highest voter turnout since independence. However, polling day also saw heightened political tensions between the TMC and BJP over the deployment of security forces.Centre-state rivalry, controversy over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, and several other factors have made the Bengal assembly elections one of the most fiercely contested in recent memory.A majority of exit polls predicted a neck-and-neck battle between the TMC and BJP, with a poll of polls placing both parties at around 145 seats each in the 294-member assembly, while smaller parties and independents are expected to have only a marginal presence.
