TMC's Serious Accusations
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has publicly voiced grave concerns, alleging that ballot boxes were tampered with in a strongroom located in Kolkata. The party
has dramatically described this incident as a 'murder of democracy,' suggesting a deliberate attempt to subvert the electoral process. According to the TMC, this alleged tampering was carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in collusion with the Election Commission (EC) prior to the scheduled vote counting for the West Bengal assembly elections on May 4th. To support their claims, the TMC shared purported CCTV footage, though its authenticity has not been independently verified. The party asserts that the video shows individuals accessing ballot units without the presence of authorized representatives from political parties, a procedure they argue violates established electoral protocols and damages the integrity of the democratic system. The TMC also announced protests led by their leaders, Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expected to join, emphasizing the gravity with which they view these developments and their determination to prevent what they perceive as an attempt to steal the public's mandate.
EC's Official Clarification
In response to the circulating allegations and video footage, the Election Commission (EC) has issued a comprehensive clarification to ensure transparency and allay concerns regarding the integrity of the vote counting process. The EC stated that a total of seven assembly constituency strongrooms are housed within the Kgudiram Anushilan Kendra. These strongrooms, it emphasized, were securely closed and sealed in the presence of election agents after the polls concluded on Thursday, with the last strongroom being sealed around 5:15 AM. Furthermore, the EC clarified that a separate strongroom within the same premises is designated for postal ballots. These ballots have been meticulously sorted by constituency by polling staff. The Commission assured the public that all strongrooms containing polled EVMs are securely protected and sealed. The footage circulating on social media, the EC explained, actually depicts the routine sorting of postal ballot papers by polling station in the corridor outside the main strongrooms, a process that commenced around 4 PM. This manual organization of postal ballots, conducted before the counting, adheres to standard procedures and takes place outside the sealed EVM storage areas. The EC also confirmed that this segregation process was displayed to and acknowledged by representatives from various political parties, including Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh from the TMC, and Kali from the BJP.
BJP's Rebuttal
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly refuted the allegations of EVM tampering and collusion with the Election Commission made by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). BJP leader Tapas Roy dismissed the TMC's claims as mere 'rumors' and suggested that the party was intentionally fabricating a false narrative. Roy asserted that the TMC's accusations stem from their anticipated poor performance in the assembly elections and are an attempt to pre-emptively justify potential defeat. He highlighted the robust three-layer security arrangements in place for the strongrooms, emphasizing that such claims lack any factual basis. Roy arrived at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, where TMC leaders were staging a protest regarding the alleged tampering, to counter the accusations directly. The BJP's reaction also follows West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's earlier dismissal of exit poll projections that indicated a lead for the BJP, suggesting a wider political backdrop to these electoral disputes.
