Ruckus erupts outside Mamata Banerjee’s counting centre in Kolkata

A ruckus broke out outside the counting centre in Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency after TMC workers alleged that cars carrying BJP flags entered the premises near the EVM strongroom. The Election Commission denied wrongdoing and said proper checks were conducted

Kolkata: The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur Assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging that two cars bearing BJP flags were allowed entry into the compound where EVMs are kept.

The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.

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With polling now over, the battle for power in West Bengal has turned into a war of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a close watch on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.

Despite expressing confidence in a “landslide victory”, Banerjee has repeatedly aired apprehensions over “counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results”.

On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres away from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.

“The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how did this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, get entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away,” a TMC activist said.

The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.

A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing through Harish Mukherjee Road and, after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.

On Thursday night, two counting centres, including the one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the Assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.

TMC leaders and candidates Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents.

In Howrah, TMC protested against renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, following which the EC temporarily stopped the work.

On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.

Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas district, where TMC workers staged protests alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.

The EC rejected all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were functioning without interruption.

BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that people of Bengal were finding it “hilarious” that the TMC, “which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics”, was now coming up with all sorts of “frivolous charges”.

“Are they scared of losing?” he asked.