NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) in West Bengal, claiming that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being tampered with. The party shared CCTV footage from an EVM strong room, accusing BJP affiliates of attempting to manipulate votes without the presence of any authorized personnel.
In response to these claims, the Election Commission released an official statement detailing the security measures in place to ensure fair election counting. The TMC also reported protests led by its leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where the EVM strong room is located. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also expected to visit the location.
The TMC condemned the situation on social media, stating, “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.” The party further claimed that the BJP has resorted to “tampering with EVMs” out of desperation after failing various tactics, including voter intimidation and fraudulent cash use. “Bengal is not Maharashtra, Delhi, or Bihar. We will not sit silently and watch them loot our democracy,” the TMC stated.
In its statement, the Election Commission addressed the allegations regarding the strong rooms for EVMs. It confirmed that there are seven air-conditioned strong rooms in the Kgudiram Anushilan Kendra, all of which have been properly closed and sealed in the presence of candidates, election agents, and general observers following the election polls. The last strong room was sealed around 5:15 AM.
The EC emphasized the security protocols, stating, “All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. We had notified all observers and asked electoral officers to inform their candidates and agents accordingly.” The Commission also noted that segregation of ballots was being conducted in the strong room corridors, with the main strong rooms being locked and shown to representatives from both TMC and BJP.
The protest comes on the heels of Chief Minister Banerjee’s rejection of exit poll projections suggesting a lead for the BJP.
