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‘Opened at least 10 times’: Now BJP alleged wrongful strongroom activities day after TMC's Kolkata faceoff
BJP leader Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay said, the strongroom was opened “early” and that it had been opened at least 10 times.
Chaotic scenes continued dominating West Bengal on Friday as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) continued trading barbs ahead of counting of votes for the assembly elections on May 4.
The allegations of irregularities at strongroom again haunted Bengal on Friday, day after chief minister Mamata-led TMC's sit-in outside central Kolkata’s Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several assembly constituencies housing EVM strongrooms amid allegations of ‘irregular activities’ inside the facility. Track updates on Assembly elections
On Friday, BJP leaders complained to the Bidhannagar Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) after a strongroom was allegedly opened without authorisation, PTI news agency reported, adding that six officials were suspended.
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BJP leader and Bidhannagar candidate Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay said, the strongroom was opened “early” and that it had been opened at least 10 times.
“We have a strong room here, and we were given a schedule specifying when it would be opened. Accordingly, we all arrived on time. After reaching there, we found that the strong room was already open. It was not being opened at that moment. We questioned why it was opened so early when the work had not properly begun. Later, after inquiries, we were informed that this strong room had been opened not once or twice, but at least ten times before. Our assigned work here, specifically for booths 116 and 117, had only just been completed in terms of segregation and postal ballots. So we asked who had authorised the opening and why we were not informed. They were unable to provide any answer," Mukhopadhyay said.
TMC's Thursday sit-in
A major political row erupted in Bengal on Thursday, day after the second and final phase of voting, as TMC alleged irregularities at some strongrooms in central Kolkata. TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleging that live-streamed footage from CCTV cameras revealed the presence of outsiders inside the strongrooms who were “fiddling with ballot papers” from the machines.
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“Party workers and supporters were present outside the strongroom till 3.30 pm. Suddenly, an email was sent informing that the strongroom would be opened again at 4 pm. We contacted our workers, and they said they had left. We then rushed here. Now we are not being allowed to enter. BJP is being invited,” Ghosh, who is contesting from Beleghata, alleged.
However, the Election Commission, dismissed the allegations regarding the handling of polled materials at the centre, stating that poll officials were engaged in the task of segregating postal ballots as per due process and the strongrooms remained secure.
“Ballot papers are being moved inside. Yet the CEO is saying nothing is happening. If postal ballots are being processed, where did they come from? If an email was sent, why weren’t we informed?” Ghosh added.
Mamata's allegations
The developments took place hours after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, via a video message, urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil over strongrooms housing EVMs. “You must guard the counting centres. If needed, I will also go and guard my area. Candidates must guard themselves. Stay awake. If I can do it, so can you. There is a plan to change the machines while transporting EVMs. Don’t take this lightly.”
“I know for sure that the exit poll numbers shown on television were circulated from a BJP office at 1.08 pm on Wednesday. A section of the media was pressured to publish it because our tally may reach 230 as well. We are surely crossing the 226-mark,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has ordered repolling at 15 booths of South 24 Parganas district as it declared voting conducted at these booths in second phase on April 29 as ‘void’.
