Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee led a late-night protest, spending nearly four hours at a strongroom facility amid allegations of irregularities.
However, official clarifications later attributed the incident to procedural misunderstandings rather than any form of tampering.
The controversy began after a video surfaced on social media, with the TMC alleging suspicious activity inside the strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in Netaji Indoor Stadium, where EVMs from seven North Kolkata constituencies were stored.
Senior party leaders, including TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja, quickly reached the site and staged a protest near the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
The situation escalated as party workers gathered in large numbers, intensifying the political atmosphere.
Mamata’s parallel vigil in South Kolkata
While protests continued in central Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee moved to a separate strongroom facility at Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata.
She remained at the site for several hours, citing concerns over alleged irregularities.
The TMC chief stated that reports of potential manipulation prompted her visit, and she sought to ensure transparency in the handling of voting machines and ballots.
However, election authorities clarified that Banerjee was not authorised to access the North Kolkata strongroom where the initial allegations had emerged.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated outside protest sites as leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) objected to the presence of large groups of Trinamool supporters near sensitive election infrastructure.
ECI steps in with clarification
The situation began to de-escalate after a late-night press briefing by State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
Officials stated that the activity captured in the viral video was part of the routine segregation of postal ballots, conducted according to established procedures.
They emphasised that strongrooms containing EVMs remained sealed, monitored by CCTV systems, and inaccessible without proper authorisation.
District officials further explained that the movement observed occurred in a designated postal ballot area, not within EVM storage sections.
The use of torchlights inside the premises was also clarified as a standard practice, as electricity is not permitted inside sealed strongrooms.
‘Miscommunication’ cited as root cause
Election authorities described the controversy as a case of miscommunication.
They stated that candidates and their representatives had been informed in advance about the timing and process of postal ballot handling.
Officials maintained that all procedures were conducted in compliance with electoral guidelines and denied any irregularities in the handling of voting equipment.
Protest fizzles out after midnight
Following the Election Commission’s clarification, the protest gradually lost momentum. Mamata Banerjee exited the strongroom facility after midnight, while demonstrations at other locations also subsided.
Despite earlier claims of irregularities, no evidence of EVM tampering or unauthorised access was found during the night.
Even as the situation cooled, Banerjee urged party workers to maintain continuous vigilance around strongrooms until the counting day.
The call came despite the absence of confirmed irregularities.
The episode ultimately concluded without substantiating the initial allegations, turning a high-intensity standoff into a procedural clarification.
