Hours after visiting an EVM strongroom in Bhabanipur, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee issued a strong warning against any attempts to manipulate the vote-counting process, citing concerns about potential malpractice.
Banerjee spent nearly four hours at the Bhabanipur constituency's counting centre, in Sakhawat Memorial School in South Kolkata, leaving the premises around 12:07am. She emphasised that only one designated individual, either the candidate or a single agent, would be permitted within the counting area. "I have also suggested the installation of CCTV cameras for the media," she told reporters, underscoring the need for transparency and the protection of voters' mandates.
BJP and their compromised Election Commission have no idea who they are dealing with.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 30, 2026
They have imported operatives from other states to swarm the area outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium, staging a media spectacle to mask their fear. We do not need to mobilize. At one command… pic.twitter.com/PHQk7K5fiQ
"It is essential to maintain transparency. People's votes must be protected," Banerjee said, explaining her rushed visit was prompted by complaints. She also noted that central forces initially restricted her entry. Ahead of the May 4 counting, she issued a stern message: "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
Earlier on Thursday evening, Banerjee had gone to the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the April 29 polling were stored in the strongroom. She entered the facility with her election agent and remained inside for an extended period. During this time, Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate for the Kolkata Port segment, Firhad Hakim, arrived but was unable to meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn't meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strongrooms," Hakim explained. "I wasn't allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside."
This development occurred concurrently with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. They staged a sit-in demonstration, alleging irregularities and potential tampering with EVMs stored in strongrooms, which led to confrontations between TMC and BJP supporters.
In a video message prior to these events, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers, and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strongrooms, suspecting that the BJP might attempt to tamper with the machines before the counting commenced. These remarks come amid political tension in the state following a keenly contested assembly election, with all parties closely observing arrangements and voicing concerns about transparency.
Election Commission denies EVM tampering claims
TMC leaders claimed that live-streamed CCTV footage showed unauthorised individuals inside the strongrooms, reportedly "fiddling with ballot papers" from the machines. However, the Election Commission refuted these claims, stating that poll officials were engaged in the due process of segregating postal ballots and that the strongrooms remained secure.
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The TMC, in a post on X, described the alleged incident as the "murder of democracy in broad daylight," accusing the BJP of collaborating with the EC to tamper with ballot boxes and EVMs.
An EC official clarified that the seven assembly constituency-wise strongrooms at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra were sealed in the presence of candidates and observers after polling concluded. The final strongroom was sealed around 5:15am on Thursday. The EC confirmed that a separate strongroom within the premises is designated for postal ballots, including those received through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETBPS).
The EC explained that notification was sent to all observers and returning officers, who subsequently informed candidates and their agents via email. The activity observed in purported videos was identified as the segregation of ballots in the corridor outside the strongrooms, a prescribed process. The commission reiterated that all protocols were strictly followed and urged the public not to be misled by unverified social media content.
