As West Bengal braces for the counting day, the TMC leadership is on their toes, instructing the party’s counting agents to be vigilant and immediately report any irregularities. Both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior leader Abhishek Banerjee spoke to the agents on Saturday, giving them several instructions on what to do.
The Chief Minister directed the party agents to stay at the counting centres till the entire process is over. “No one should leave the counting centres till the process is over,” she said, urging them to continuously update the party leadership on developments. She also advised agents to demand recounts in closely contested seats. “In case of any TMC candidate losing a seat by a margin of 200-300 votes,” she said, “recounting must be insisted upon.”
She told the agents not to leave the centres even at 2 am. “Don't leave the counting centres even if it's 2 am, until I tell you. If you see that they are winning by a margin of 200-300 votes, I will ask you to recount. Counting agents will take food from home. Lunch will be light. No one will eat zardaa paan or anything else from the previous day. No outside food will be taken as someone may lace your food with something,” she said, warning the agents to reach the counting centre by 5 am.
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“Be vigilant, the machine could even be changed while being moved from the strong room for counting,” she said. The briefing also covered counting procedures, including multiple rounds and protocols related to electronic voting machines.
Meanwhile, the TMC has given special responsibility to former West Bengal DG Rajeev Kumar as an observer in the counting of votes. The party appointed counting observers for each district, and Abhishek Banerjee announced that Rajiv has been made the counting observer of the Dumdum-Barrackpore organisational district.
Rajiv Kumar retired from the post of DG of the state police this year, after which he joined politics. He was nominated for the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool Congress.