West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised serious allegations of deliberate power cuts and CCTV shutdowns near Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) strong rooms, just hours before the scheduled vote counting. Speaking to the media, she claimed that there was suspicious movement around the secured facilities and urged party workers to remain vigilant and guard the strong rooms throughout the night.
Allegations of Electoral Malpractice
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo directly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating these disruptions to compromise the integrity of the electoral process. These allegations come on the heels of earlier complaints by the TMC regarding EVM-related issues during the polling phase. With counting day approaching, the fresh claims have reignited debates over electoral transparency in the state.
Party Workers Called to Action
Banerjee called upon her party workers to stay alert and protect the strong rooms, emphasizing that any tampering could affect the final results. She expressed deep concern over the security of the voting machines and demanded immediate action from the Election Commission.
In response, the BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless and accused the TMC of trying to create an atmosphere of distrust ahead of the counting. The Election Commission has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
As the state braces for the counting of votes, tensions remain high between the two major political parties. The outcome of the West Bengal assembly elections is expected to be closely contested, with both sides claiming confidence in victory.
