Mamata's Bhabanipur under lens on result day eve as TMC alleges EVM security breach

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in Kolkata witnessed tense moments at one of its counting centres on the eve of the announcement of results, with workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleging two vehicles bearing the flag of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were allowed to enter the compound where the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are stored.

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The incident happened not long after the chief minister held a four-hour sit-in in front of the same centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on the night of Thursday (April 30), a day after the second and final phase of the state polls got over. She did after some leaders of the TMC alleged that unauthorised people were being allowed to access the ballot boxes in the strongrooms, including in Sakhawat Memorial.

Battle of nerves between TMC, BJP

The wrangling for power in Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the main Opposition BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates lies sealed.

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

Several exit polls released after the election predicted a victory of the saffron party, something the TMC has ruled out.

Cars with BJP flags near strongroom: TMC

On Sunday (March 3) morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres 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 come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away,” a TMC activist said.

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

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A senior Election Commission (EC) official said the car was passing by the city’s 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, TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents. In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work undertaken by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.

On Saturday (May 2), the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram.

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

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The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working without any disruption.

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

(With agency inputs)