With voting underway in the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday made a series of allegations against central forces and election observers,
accusing them of acting at the behest of the BJP and disrupting the polling process in parts of the state.
West Bengal Elections 2026 Voting Phase 2 Live Updates
Banerjee claimed that “several observers have come from outside and are acting as per the BJP’s directions,” alleging interference in the polling process. Questioning the conduct of polling, she said, “People are supposed to cast their votes, can voting take place like this?”
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate from Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, Mamata Banerjee, says, “…So many observers have come from outside. Whatever the BJP says, they are doing. Just look around, all our posters have been removed. Is this how polls take… pic.twitter.com/xYFpFLUSan
— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2026
The TMC chief further alleged that her party’s presence had been deliberately curtailed even before polling began. “All our party flags had been removed beforehand and some outsiders are doing as they please,” she said.
Escalating her accusations, Banerjee said party workers were being targeted and detained. “They are not allowing the councillor of Ward No. 70 to step out. They are picking up all our boys,” she alleged, adding that she and Abhishek Banerjee had monitored developments through the night. “Abhishek and I stayed awake the entire night,” she said.
Banerjee has, in recent days, also criticised the record deployment of over 2.5 lakh central forces personnel for the polls, calling it an “unprecedented” move and alleging that they were being used to intimidate voters. She had earlier urged the forces not to act as “puppets” and told voters not to be afraid.
Her remarks come as polling began early in the morning across 142 constituencies in south Bengal — a politically crucial stretch that includes Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman. These districts have historically formed the Trinamool Congress’s core support base, making this phase particularly significant for the ruling party.
Adding to the TMC’s concerns, Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary and MP, also raised objections over the conduct of polling officials and observers. After arriving at a polling booth to cast his vote, he said, “Voting has just started, we should wait for a couple of hours. Despite HC order, they (observers) are flouting the guidelines laid by EC.”
Projecting confidence despite the allegations, he added, “None of these tricks will work. TMC will come with a better and more majority.”
The phase also carries high symbolic and political weight due to the contest in Bhabanipur, where Mamata Banerjee is facing Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. The seat is being viewed as a prestige battle and a psychological rematch after their high-profile contest in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections.
For the BJP, this phase represents a critical test of whether it can build on its gains in north Bengal and expand its footprint into the southern belt, traditionally dominated by the TMC. The party’s campaign has focused on issues such as corruption, infiltration, post-poll violence and citizenship, aiming to erode the ruling party’s stronghold.
