New Delhi:
Bengal witnessed a late-night drama on Thursday amid Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) concerns over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs), with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spending hours inside a strongroom and her party staging a sit-in protest.
With just two days left for counting in the high-stakes Assembly elections, the Trinamool alleged that the ballot boxes were opened without the presence of authorised party representatives – shortly after the second and final phase of polling concluded in the state. Mamata Banerjee, along with her election agent, visited the counting centre for the Bhabanipur Assembly segment at Sakhawat Memorial School in Kolkata on Thursday evening, alleging possible malpractice.
After spending nearly four hours inside the strongroom, she emerged around 12:07 am with a defiant tone and warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process.
“Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media,” she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, “People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter. If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated.”
Kolkata, West Bengal: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says, “I have the right to go inside, because earlier they didn’t allow anyone to go inside. But as per our election rules, the candidate and election agent of any party is allowed up to the sealed room. Not inside the sealed… pic.twitter.com/ixSBQX1nNB
— IANS (@ians_india) April 30, 2026
During this time, Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool candidate from the Kolkata Port seat, Firhad Hakim, too reached the spot, but could not meet the Chief Minister.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is contesting against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, shared a video on X showing his election agent keeping “strict surveillance” in the EVM strongroom where the Chief Minister went in for hours.
“I wish to assure the esteemed community of voters from the entire state of West Bengal, including the Bhabanipur constituency, that the Trinamool Congress candidate from this center, namely the outgoing Chief Minister, the Honorable, has been strictly instructed to refrain from availing any undue advantages. As long as she was present in the strong room premises, my election agent, Advocate Suryanil Das, was personally there keeping her under strict surveillance so that she could not resort to any dishonest means,” he said.
Adhikari added, “No matter how much effort she makes, she has been unable to engage in any activities outside the rules.”
ভবানীপুর নির্বাচনী এলাকা সহ সমগ্র পশ্চিমবঙ্গবাসী ভোটার ভদ্রমণ্ডলী কে আশ্বস্ত করতে চাই যে এই কেন্দ্রের তৃণমূল কংগ্রেস প্রার্থী তথা বিদায়ী মুখ্যমন্ত্রী, মাননীয়া কে কোনোরকম বাড়তি সুবিধা নেওয়া থেকে বিরত থাকতে বাধ্য করা হয়েছে।
উনি যতোই চেষ্টা চালান না কেন, কোনো রকম নিয়ম বহির্ভূত… pic.twitter.com/9hxyr3A97x— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) April 30, 2026
Simultaneously, the Trinamool held a sit-in protest outside a strongroom at Netaji Indoor Stadium in central Kolkata, where EVMs for several Assembly constituencies in north Kolkata are kept – hours after Mamata Banerjee released a video message warning party workers about the possibility of EVM tampering and urged them to guard strongrooms until counting begins.
Photo Credit: PTI
At the centre of the protest was Bengal minister Shashi Panja and Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh – both of whom are candidates in the Assembly elections.
Alleging discrepancies in the process, Ghosh said, “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.”
Panja, who is contesting from Shyampukur constituency, also questioned the procedure and said, “The strongroom is extremely sensitive. If it is opened, all political parties must be informed. Why was no one informed?”
Election Commission denies allegations
The Election Commission dismissed the claims regarding the handling of polled materials at the centre, asserting that all procedures were duly followed and the strongrooms remain secure.
“The last strongroom was closed in the morning around 5:15 am. All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. There is another strongroom in the same premises for the postal ballots, wherein we have kept AC-wise polled ballots as done by different polling personnel and ETBPS,” the EC said in a statement.
BJP’s response
Senior BJP leader Tapas Roy dismissed the allegations made by the Trinamool party.
“These are all pure rumours that the TMC is spreading now to create an environment of fear because they’re themselves scared. I have also come here to check the strongroom. The TMC is spreading lies,” he said.
Also Read: 700 Paramilitary Companies Deployed To Prevent Bengal Post-Poll Violence
BJP’s IT Cell head, Amit Malviya, called Banerjee’s visit to the strongroom the “clearest exit poll for West Bengal”.
“Mamata Banerjee’s theatrics this evening are perhaps the clearest “exit poll” for West Bengal. The writing on the wall is evident and so is the desperation to distract from it,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee’s theatrics this evening are perhaps the clearest “exit poll” for West Bengal. The writing on the wall is evident and so is the desperation to distract from it.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 30, 2026
West Bengal’s Assembly election has been one of the most closely watched state contests in India this year, with the BJP making an aggressive push to challenge Trinamool’s hold over the state and Banerjee seeking another term in office. The state concluded its second and final phase of voting amid violence and a political firestorm over the revision of the voter list on April 29.
The Election Commission confirmed that counting for the 294-seat Assembly election will begin on May 4 under heavy security arrangements.
