Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, May 1: The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Friday asserted that there was no scope for wrongdoing at the vote counting centres.
Stating that round-the-clock CCTV monitoring of strong rooms was in place, he termed the allegations of electoral malpractice and tampering of the vote machines baseless.
The strong rooms storing the EVMs and the centers where the votes will be counted on May 4 have all been fortified by the officials. A senior police officer said enhanced security arrangements have been put in place at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting center for seven assembly seats in north and east Kolkata, which houses EVM strong rooms. “Additional CAPFs and armed police forces have also been deployed under the supervision of an additional commissioner and a deputy commissioner of police,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Kolkata, Rupesh Kumar, told reporters after visiting the area.
The Kolkata Police further strengthened the security in the areas around strongrooms where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been stored. The police have also banned any kind of gatherings in seven areas where votes polled in the assembly election will be counted on Monday, following the high drama last night that happened at two counting centers due to the Trinamool Congress’s allegations of suspicious activities.
Tension prevailed at the central Kolkata’s Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting center for several north and east Kolkata Assembly constituencies housing EVM strong rooms, after TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the premises alleging electoral malpractice and tampering of the vote machines. The TMC leaders alleged that Live-streamed footage from CCTV cameras revealed the presence of outsiders inside the strong rooms who were “fiddling with ballot papers” from the machines.
The Election Commission, however, dismissed the claim 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. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee landed up at the counting center for the Bhabanipur Assembly segment, suspecting malpractice and tampering of the voting machines. Mr Agarwal has dismissed the allegations.
Last night, BJP and Trinamool workers had a face-off outside a counting center in Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, following the allegations by Trinamool leaders. Mr Ghosh and Ms Panja protested outside the gate of the counting centre. Workers of both parties raised slogans, leading to a brief confrontation. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, too, had come near the strong room at the Shakhawat Memorial counting centre.
Agarwal, the state’s top poll officer, after rubbing the Trinamool’s allegations, said, “The strong rooms at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra house EVMs from seven assembly constituencies in north Kolkata. After the polling ended on Wednesday, all the strong-rooms were properly closed and sealed in the presence of the concerned candidates/election agents and observers. The last strong room was closed at 5.15 am on Thursday. There is another Strong room for postal ballots at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. They were being sorted by the polling officials.”
He said he had also told the returning officers to inform candidates and agents concerned about this exercise. “The returning officers informed the political parties through email. The separation of postal ballots was going on in the corridors of the polling booths from 4 pm. They are all safe, secured and locked. The representatives of both Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been shown everything,” Agarwal said.
He clarified that since electricity connection was not allowed in the strong-rooms, the segregation of postal ballots for the seven assembly constituencies in Kolkata was going on in torchlight, which the ruling Trinamool leaders wrongly called as “suspicious activities.” Following the top poll official’s comments, the Trinamool leaders ended their protest and left the venue.
A political storm also erupted on Thursday night after the TMC alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs), with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visiting a strongroom in south Kolkata to review the situation, as her party leaders staged a sit-in.
The TMC alleged that an attempt was made by the BJP to tamper the EVMs at the Sakhawat Memorial School, which is a counting center for Ms Banerjee’s Bhabanipur assembly constituency. However, the poll officials have refuted the TMC’s charge.
North Kolkata District Election Officer (DEO) Smita Pandey narrated the statutory process to segregate postal ballots. She said officials have been given personnel votes at facilitation centre, which could be from another district or assembly.
Amid allegations over EVM tampering, Banerjee spent nearly four hours at the counting centre. Banerjee, the TMC supremo, said there was a need for transparency and CCTV cameras need to be installed there to ensure that the process is conducted fairly.
She also gave a stern warning against any kind of tampering, saying it won’t be tolerated. “It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter,” she told reporters.
The TMC has accused the BJP of tampering but the saffron party has claimed that Thursday’s incident shows Banerjee’s desperation, as most of the exit polls have predicted a setback for her in the West Bengal assembly elections for which results will be declared on May 4.
As per exit poll projections, the BJP is likely to form a government with a clear majority, which has buoyed the saffron party. The TMC’s tenure, on the other hand, is likely to end after three straight terms, predicted the exit polls.
Meanwhile, at least three incidents of alleged post-poll violence were reported from West Bengal’s Murshidabad, Malda and North 24 Parganas districts, police said on Friday. In Murshidabad district, a CPI(M) polling agent, identified as Ruhul Amin, was allegedly attacked on Thursday night at Lochanpur within Islampur police station limits.
According to party sources, Mr Amin was assaulted at a tea stall by a group of local leaders allegedly led by a TMC regional functionary. Family members alleged that he had stepped out of his house at night when the incident took place. “He was beaten up in public and threatened with death,” a family member alleged, adding that he was later rescued and taken to safety.
The CPI(M) claimed that police did not take action initially, despite lodging a complaint. The party’s candidate from Raninagar Assembly constituency later approached the SP, following which officers visited the spot. Allegations have also surfaced that portions of CCTV footage from the tea stall were deleted, though there was no official confirmation.
In another incident in Malda district, a BJP mandal president, Mahananda Mondal, was allegedly attacked by suspected TMC workers on Thursday afternoon. The incident took place in the North Balupur area of Ratua. According to BJP leaders, Mr Mondal was stopped on the road and assaulted with bricks. He was later admitted to the Malda Medical College and Hospital for treatment. The TMC has denied the allegations, terming them baseless.
In Dulduli Kakpara under Hingalganj police station in North 24 Parganas district, five persons were injured, two of them seriously, in a clash between TMC and BJP workers. Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident, a police officer said, adding that the clash was triggered by political rivalry. Both BJP and TMC workers sustained injuries, and one supporter from each party was among those arrested.
“Reports of scuffles and intimidation have come in from various parts of the State. We have taken note of them. Our officers have initiated probes, and those behind such incidents will be dealt with strictly,” a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission have fully executed in West Bengal what was tested as a “trial” run in Uttar Pradesh. He was speaking to reporters during a press conference organized on the occasion of Buddha Purnima in Lucknow. The SP chief also claimed a parallel structure of Central forces was built in Bengal. “But, despite this Didi (Ms Banerjee) is going to win the polls there, and it will be a historic win,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister claimed.
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also warned of a “dangerous trend” in the electoral process, saying that if the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls affects the outcome of the West Bengal Assembly elections, it would set a treacherous precedent against which the political parties need to safeguard themselves.
Responding to questions about the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections and recent tensions outside a strong room in Kolkata, he emphasized that safeguarding EVMs after the vote remains a critical responsibility for any party. Drawing a parallel with the era of physical ballot boxes, he noted that maintaining a presence outside strong rooms is a long-standing practice for ensuring security.
“We used to do the same when ballot boxes were there. We used to keep our people outside the strong room,” Mr Abdullah said while defending the right of leaders like Mamata Banerjee to maintain such vigilance.
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