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'No CCTV turned off, all parties informed': EC dismiss TMC's tampering claims after Kolkata strongroom drama
West Bengal’s chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said live footage from all eight strong rooms was being continuously telecasted.
Amid protests by TMC leaders over alleged tampering in West Bengal Assembly elections, State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal clarified that “no CCTV cameras were switched off at the strong rooms.” He also added that the live footage of the rooms was made available to all parties.
He said live footage from all eight strong rooms, including seven housing EVMs and one for postal ballots, was being continuously telecast, and representatives of political parties were allowed to monitor it from beyond the three-layer security.
EC says everything done as per rules
Addressing concerns about activity seen around 4 pm, Agarwal explained that officials had opened the postal ballot strong room as per rules, with prior intimation given to all candidates and parties by the Returning Officer. “As per the rule, all political parties were informed, all candidates were informed by the RO (Returning Officer),” he said.
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"They should have come there...After 4 pm, 3 candidates had come and they saw everything that the EVMs' strong rooms were sealed while the postal ballot's strong room was open. The 3 then left," the electoral officer said.
He also asserted that there will be “no law and order situation,” adding that “these things happen.” The officer also noted that the counting of the votes will be done in a “100% neat and clean” manner.
In a press briefing late on Thursday, West Bengal CEO said that ECI is "fully prepared for vote counting and all procedures will be followed strictly."
Also read: Tampering claims, chaos: Blow-by-blow of TMC vs BJP late-night EVM showdown in Kolkata
TMC allege tampering by EC officials
The statement comes after TMC leaders claimed that the BJP, in the presence of EC officials, made attempts to open ballot boxes in the absence of relevant party representatives. TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh also sat on a dharna in front of the strong room, outside Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Further, to back their claims, TMC also shared a CCTV footage of what it claimed was from inside the strong room in the Bengal capital. In the social media post, TMC claimed that the footage exposed how BJP, in collusion with the Election Commission opened ballot boxes without the presence of any relevant stakeholders.
