TMC's Abhishek Banerjee alleges EVMs were swapped, says fact-finding committee to be formed as party loses election

A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost the West Bengal Assembly elections by a massive margin, its General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Tuesday, said that a fact-finding committee will be formed to examine the alleged discrepancies in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the Assembly elections.

Banerjee added that EVMs can be swapped even though they may not be manipulated. He alleged that the EVMs used for voting were cross-checked at the counting tables, and their serial numbers did not match the records listed in Form 17C, adding that at least 90 per cent of EVMs that were used for 12 hours had 92 to 95 per cent charge, ANI reported.

Abhishek Banerjee alleges looting of votes

"The way these people have looted (votes)... I will give you 100 such CCTV footages from counting centres; let the EC release 10 such footages. The footage of the entire day from counting centres, especially from 12 noon to 6 pm, will be released. While the votes cast within the EVMs themselves may not have been manipulated, the EVM units can be swapped. We have received feedback from numerous locations—feedback which was formally submitted to the Returning Officers on the day of counting—indicating that when the specific EVMs used for voting were cross-checked at the counting tables, their serial numbers did not match the records listed in Form 17C," Banerjee said.

He went on to say, "The machines were used for 12 hours, but 90 per cent of the machines had 92–95 per cent charge. How is this possible? This will be discussed in the party. We will form a fact-finding committee."

Abhishek Banerjee alleges EVM mismatching

TMC's General Secretary noted that several cases from counting centres also came to light regarding instances of EVM mismatch. Additionally, he alleged that the counting agents were forcibly removed after 2 pm at several centres, only to "manufacture an atmosphere" that the BJP is leading.

In a statement, he said that reports regarding 10 such mismatched EVMs came in from Kalyani, and similar reports also arrived from Memari, and added that all formal complaints regarding such instances have been submitted. Speaking to ANI, he said that there are roughly 100 such counting centres where, should one choose to challenge the results in court, it can be demonstrated that after 2:00 pm, all counting agents were either forcibly removed or driven away through violence.

BJP manufactured an atmosphere of winning

Banerjee, citing the Election Commission of India (ECI) timestamps, said that centres where roughly 80–90 per cent of the counting is ideally completed by 2:00 pm saw only three to four rounds of counting actually taking place. He added that in some areas, as many as 20 rounds of vote counting remained pending, and in some others, 24 rounds.

TMC General Secretary noted, "By holding back 10 per cent of the vote count while projecting a lead—and with the assistance of the media—they successfully manufactured an atmosphere suggesting that the BJP had already won."

The remarks follow the BJP's spectacular win in West Bengal, with 207 seats declared on Monday. TMC, which has been in power in West Bengal for the past 15 years, won 80 seats.

Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign, calls poll verdict a conspiracy

TMC Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday refused to resign from her position, alleging the Assembly elections verdict was "not a people's mandate but a conspiracy."

"Why should I step down? We have not lost. The mandate has been looted. Where does the question of resignation arise?" she said, adding, "The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy… I did not lose; I will not go to Lok Bhavan."

She also alleged large-scale irregularities in vote counting and claimed nearly 100 seats were "looted" and that the pace of counting was deliberately slowed to sap her party's morale.

(With agency inputs)