‘Fear of defeat’ vs ‘something fishy’: BJP-TMC face off over EVM handling before May 4 results
The Statesman | 1 May 2026
With just days to go for vote counting, security has been stepped up around the strong room at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, even as political tensions refuse to settle, spilling into fresh allegations and counterclaims on Friday.
The renewed friction follows a late-night controversy that has now morphed into a larger political battle, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the BJP of working in tandem with the Election Commission, while the poll body and opposition leaders insist the process remains intact and rule-bound.
Senior TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh continued their protest outside the strong room, alleging that ballot boxes were being accessed without the presence of authorised representatives.
Speaking to ANI, Ghosh claimed that activity inside the strong room could be seen on CCTV feeds, but party representatives were not being allowed inside.
“You can watch the livestreaming and CCTV camera of the Election Commission, where a few people are working inside. None of our representatives is inside…They are not letting us in. There is no transparency. They (BJP) are sending their people inside the strong room and tampering with the postal ballots…Shashi Panja and I are sitting on a protest…The party will take further action regarding this incident,” he said.
Panja echoed similar concerns, questioning who was inside the facility. “Who are the ones inside the strong room?… One cannot go inside the strong room…We should have information about what is happening inside the strong room…Something fishy is going on…There are loopholes in the system,” she said.
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal rejected the allegations, maintaining that there was no irregularity and that all procedures had been followed.
“No CCTV was turned off. CCTV footage of all 8 strong rooms there, 7 of EVMs and 1 of the postal ballot, is being telecast. Political parties’ people can sit beyond the three-layer security and see this. They saw some movement around 4 pm when our staff was opening the postal ballot room as per the rules. As per the rule, all political parties were informed, and all candidates were informed by the RO. They should have come here…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,” Agarwal told ANI.
He added that there would be no law and order concerns and reiterated that counting would be conducted in a “100 per cent neat and clean” manner. Agarwal also said the Commission has “nothing to hide”.
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh dismissed the allegations, arguing that the high turnout indicates a shift in voter sentiment.
“Earlier, we used to do it because we were on the back foot; they were in power. They used to win for sure because there was so much false voting. But that’s over now. The way people have come out and voted in large numbers today shows that a change is coming,” he said.
He accused the ruling party of targeting institutions, including the Election Commission, central forces and the BSF. “That’s why TMC is on the back foot, and they are complaining about everything… Now, Mamata Banerjee is sitting in the strong room and doing politics. What is this? The situation is not good for them,” he added.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, calling her concerns over EVM security “imaginary” and a sign of “fear of defeat”.
“Raising apprehensions about EVM manipulation has become a part of her habit for the last 15 years since she came to power in West Bengal in 2011… This time, her habitual expression on this count is stronger since she is sensing an imminent defeat,” Adhikari said.
The political back-and-forth comes against the backdrop of one of the highest voter turnouts in the state’s history. According to the Election Commission, Phase II polling recorded 91.66 per cent turnout, while Phase I saw 93.19 per cent participation, taking the combined figure to 92.47 per cent.
Officials said this surpasses the previous high of 84.72 per cent recorded in 2011. Women voters outnumbered men, with turnout at 92.28 per cent compared to 91.07 per cent among male voters.
The Election Commission said polling was monitored through complete live webcasting, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi overseeing the process.