Kolkata:
Was the June 10 fire that destroyed around 4,000 electronic voting machines spontaneous or sabotage? This question was asked on Friday by both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Trinamool Congress, further inflaming Bengal’s already intense politics.
The Trinamool Congress — which has been facing an implosion since its Bengal poll loss, with most of its MLAs and MPs forming factions– asked how such an incident took place despite safeguards. “Was this merely an accident or a calculated attempt to make crucial evidence vanish?” the party said in its social media post.
The BJP has demanded a thorough probe into the fire. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the possibility of sabotage should not be ruled out. Another BJP leader, Rakesh Singh, alleged the fire could be part of a conspiracy.
Investigators, however, have cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions.
Officials said forensic examination and scientific evidence would be crucial in determining whether the fire was triggered by an electrical fault, accidental circumstances or any deliberate act.
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According to Election Commission sources, the EVM strong room was located in the New Administrative Building at the collectorate in Alipore, South 24 Parganas district. The facility housed EVMs used in 10 assembly constituencies under the Alipore subdivision this year, and 5 constituencies in the 2024 general elections.
The assembly constituencies whose EVMs were stored in the room included Satgachia, Bishnupur (SC), Kasba, Jadavpur, Tollyganj, Behala Purba, Behala Paschim, Maheshtala, Budge Budge and Metiaburuz.
The Weird Pattern Of Fire
The sources said the blaze affected the third, eighth and ninth floors of the building. The EVMs, along with other official records, were stored on the ninth floor.
West Bengal Minister of State for Fire and Emergency Services Kaushik Chowdhury said around 4,000 EVMs were destroyed in the fire. “Those EVMs were used in 10 constituencies during this year’s Assembly elections in the state,” he said.
The minister also raised questions over the pattern of the fire’s spread. “It does not appear to be a normal fire. We are examining whether there was any sabotage. It is still not clear how the fire reached the ninth floor,” he told reporters.
He noted that while the fire was initially noticed on the second and third floors, some intermediate floors appeared less affected.
The South 24 Parganas administration filed a written complaint seeking an investigation, after which police registered a case and launched a probe.
West Bengal is currently in a state of political churn. While the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 208 of the state’s 294 seats, is consolidating power, the Trinamool Congress is staring at a political abyss. 19 Lok Sabha MPs, at least three Rajya Sabha MPs and reportedly over 60 MLAs have announced an open revolt against Mamata Banerjee, opening the possibility of joining the ruling party en masse and dealing a crippling blow to the Trinamool.
