‘All officers of TMC’: BJP alleges irregularities after phone found in envelope near Asansol College strong room; chaos erupts | India News

NEW DELHI: As West Bengal waits for results to be declared tomorrow, chaos erupted after a switched-off mobile phone was found in an envelope near Asansol Engineering College’s strong room premises.Besides mobile phones, several documents related to the Raniganj assembly constituency were also recovered, raising suspicions and causing a brief ruckus at the site. A BJP leader alleged that the officers were acting on behalf of the TMC and raised concerns about possible irregularities.Claiming that a person had tried to enter the premises with a phone, the BJP leader said, “Someone was trying to enter here with a mobile phone. Our people caught him. Mobile phones are prohibited. I don’t know what the police are doing. A mobile phone was being taken inside, so we switched it off, and so we are standing here. We will not allow any unethical activities here. All officers are grassroots.”The incident comes amid heavy security deployment outside strong rooms across the state to avoid clashes and ensure safety of EVMs ahead of counting day.West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Aggarwal said that all arrangements have been made as per the Election Commission’s guidelines, with a three-tier security system comprising central forces, local police and state police. He also warned that strict action will be taken against him in case of any negligence.The development comes against the backdrop of a tense election cycle in the state marked by allegations of violence, voter intimidation and irregularities during polling. Clashes and vandalism were reported from several areas including Chapra, Shantipur, Nimtala and Bhangar.In a significant move, the Election Commission ordered fresh polling in the entire Falta assembly constituency citing ‘serious electoral crimes’ and disruption of the democratic process in the April 29 polling phase. Repolling was also held in selected booths in South 24 Parganas amid tight security, with authorities aiming to restore confidence in the electoral process.The West Bengal Assembly elections were held in two phases on April 23 and April 29 The results of the high-stakes election will be announced on May 4