‘Manipulation taking place’: Mamata Banerjee raises EVM concerns, vows ‘life and death’ fight before counting | India News
Mamata Banerjee raises concerns over EVMs, vows ‘life-and-death’ fight before counting
New Delhi: With just days to go for the counting of West Bengal assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Kolkata’s Bhavanipur strong room on Thursday night, expressing concern over alleged tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).Banerjee, who is contesting against Subvendu Adhikari, claimed that her party had received reports of “rigging” in several places in the state. He said, “There is a strong room for EVMs. We have seen tampering happening in many places… When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought, I should go and see.”He complained of obstruction by central forces during his visit. “Initially, the central forces did not allow me to enter. But as per our election rules candidates and election agents of any party are allowed to reach the Silgala room.
‘It will be a life and death fight’
Accusing the Election Commission of India of bias, Banerjee said, “Our agent has been arrested, there has been so much one-sidedness. Even after that, if someone tries to steal the EVM machine, someone tries to steal the counting, then we will fight to the death together.”At the same time, he appealed for calm, urging citizens to maintain peace at a sensitive time, stressing that “victory is assured.”The Trinamool Congress also issued a sharp political message, saying that “every wrongdoing” and “heavy-handed tactics” by the BJP and the central forces would be answered through the democratic process.Most exit polls indicated a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party, potentially ending TMC’s 15-year rule.Chanakya Kaushal estimated that the BJP could win 150-160 seats in the 294-member assembly, while the TMC could get 30-40 seats.
Record voter turnout
The elections witnessed historic turnout, with West Bengal recording the highest voter turnout since independence. According to the Election Commission, polling in the second phase stood at 91.66%, while the first phase recorded 93.19%, taking the combined voter turnout to 92.47%.Female voters led the turnout at 92.28%, slightly ahead of male voters at 91.07%, reflecting broad-based engagement despite political tensions during the polls, including disputes over security deployment.With vote counting scheduled for May 4, both camps are gearing up for the closely watched results.
