West Bengal Election: ECI issues clarification after TMC workers protest over EVM ‘tampering’

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued a clarification hours after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders staged a sit-in protest outside Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkatta where EVMs have been stored after the voting.

This came after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, urged party workers, leaders, and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil over strongrooms housing electronic voting machines (EVM), ANI reported.

Issuing clarifications, ECI officials said that, with reference to the video being circulated on social media handles:

1. There are 7 assembly constituency strong rooms inside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.

2. They have all been duly closed and sealed in the presence of the candidates/election agents and the General Observer after the completion of the poll yesterday. The last strong room was closed in the morning around 5.15 am.

3. All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed.

4. The official noted that there's another strong room in the same premises for postal ballots, wherein AC-wise polled ballots, as done by different polling personnel and ETBPS, have been kept.

5. We had notified all Observers, ROs, and requested ROs to inform their candidates and agents about this.

6. ROs informed the political parties by mail.

7. The segregation of the ballots was taking place in the corridor of the strong rooms containing the polled premises from 4 pm.

8. The main strong rooms are safely secured and locked.

9. The same was duly shown to Shashi Panja, Kunal Ghosh (from TMC), and Kali from the BJP.

TMC stages sit-in outside EVM strongroom

Earlier today, TMC party candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in outside Khudiram Anushilan Kendra and alleged that irregular activities were being carried on inside the facility.

Alleging procedural lapses, TMC leaders claimed that party workers stationed outside the strongroom were reportedly asked to leave in the afternoon, following which they later received information that the strongroom would be reopened at 4 pm, PTI reported.

Commenting on the incident, TMC candidate Ghosh said, "Party workers and supporters were present outside the strongroom till 3.30 pm. Suddenly, an email was sent informing that the strongroom would be opened again at 4 pm. We contacted our workers, and they said they had left. We then rushed here. Now we are not being allowed to enter. BJP is being invited."

The TMC Belaghata candidate added, "Ballot papers are being moved inside. Yet the CEO is saying nothing is happening. If postal ballots are being processed, where did they come from? If an email was sent, why were we not informed?"

TMC supremo seeks 24-hour vigil

In a video message released earlier in the day, TMC supremo Banerjee asked party leaders, candidates, and workers to remain on high alert during counting and guard strong rooms housing the EVMs.

She added, "You must guard the counting centres. If needed, I will also go and guard my area. Candidates must guard themselves. Stay awake. If I can do it, so can you. There is a plan to change the machines while transporting EVMs. Do not take this lightly."

TMC accuses BJP of colluding with ECI

Separately, in a post on X, the TMC termed the "act" a "murder of democracy in broad daylight" and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding with ECI to tamper with ballot boxes and EVMs during the ongoing poll process.

In a strongly worded statement, the party claimed that CCTV footage showed ballot boxes being opened without the presence of authorised representatives of political parties, terming it "gross electoral fraud".

The TMC further alleged that attempts such as voter intimidation, deletion of names, and misuse of central forces had failed, prompting the BJP to resort to "desperate measures" like tampering with EVMs.

West Bengal Assembly Elections

The protest by TMC workers came a day after the state concluded its second phase of polling in West Bengal, following which EVMs were stored in strongrooms at the centre.

On Wednesday, out of 294 seats, 142 voted in the second phase, and the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4. The voter turnout in the second phase reached a staggering 91.62 per cent as polling concluded.