The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has leveled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) in West Bengal, accusing them of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Sharing a CCTV video from the EVM strong room, the party claimed that BJP workers attempted to manipulate votes in the absence of relevant authorities.
EC Responds to Allegations
The Election Commission responded to the allegations with an official statement, updating the public on the security measures taken to ensure a fair counting process. The EC emphasized that all strong rooms containing polled EVMs were securely sealed and that the segregation of postal ballots was conducted transparently.
TMC Leaders Protest
TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh began a protest at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, where the EVM strong room is located. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also expected to visit the site. The party shared the video on social media, calling it a murder of democracy and accusing the BJP of colluding with the EC to open ballot boxes without party stakeholders present.
The TMC statement read, "Alarming! This is the murder of democracy in broad daylight. CCTV footage has exposed how BJP, in active collusion with the EC, 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."
Detailed Allegations
The party further alleged, "They have tried every dirty trick: name deletion, voter intimidation, Central Force terror, cash flooding, and failed miserably. Now, in sheer desperation, they have stooped to tampering with EVMs. But Bengal is not Maharashtra, Delhi, or Bihar. We will not sit silently and watch them loot our democracy."
EC's Detailed Clarification
The Election Commission released a detailed statement clarifying the situation. It explained that there are seven AC strong rooms inside the Kgudiram Anushilan Kendra, all of which were closed and sealed in the presence of candidates, election agents, and the General Observer after polling concluded. The last strong room was sealed around 5:15 a.m.
The EC added, "All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. There is another strong room in the same premise for postal ballots, where we have kept AC-wise polled ballots as done by different polling personnel and ETBPS. We had notified all Observers, ROs, and requested ROs to inform their candidates and agents about this."
Regarding the segregation of ballots, the EC stated, "The segregation of the ballot was taking place in the corridor of strong rooms containing polled premises from 4 p.m. The main strong rooms are safely secured and locked. The same was duly shown to Shashi Panja, Kunal Ghosh, and Kali from BJP."
Political Context
The protest comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected exit poll projections that showed the BJP leading in the state. The TMC has been vocal about its distrust of the EC's handling of the election process.
