Late-night drama in Kolkata as TMC claims EVMs tampered, poll officials reject charge

Banerjee later said: “I have requested that candidates and election agents be given proper facilities. I was here for four hours. I was here to keep a vigil. Our EVMs are here. At the Netaji Indoor Stadium, we have seen EVMs being opened. So I visited here because I wanted to check. Initially, they stopped us. But later, the RO (returning officer) allowed me to enter. I will ensure that votes are not captured forcibly in a democratic set-up. This is our area. I could have brought thousands here. I did not.”

The EVMs are sealed in strong rooms. On May 4, the day of counting, the EVMs will be brought to the counting centres.

The TMC, in a statement on X, accused the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission to tamper with ballot boxes and EVMs and described it as “the murder of democracy in broad daylight”.

The party claimed that CCTV footage showed ballot boxes being opened without the presence of authorised representatives of political parties.

Election officials rejected the TMC charge of tampering of EVMs.

CEO Manoj Agarwal said, “Nothing has been done out of the statutory procedure of ECI. The allegation that came is baseless. Even after that, we are seeking a report. If anyone breaches the legal procedure, stern action will be taken.”

Smita Pandey, District Election Officer of North Kolkata, said, “All EVMs are perfectly sealed and closed in the strong room. Their footage can be seen from the CCTV camera installed. In Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, there are seven ACs and one room is for postal ballots. What happened today is the segregation of postal ballots.”

“Our AEROs were doing that segregation process in the corridor of Khudiram Anushilam Kendra. We had already informed all political parties that we were going to do this process from 4 pm. So, this allegation is not correct. After the allegation, we went there with the candidates who protested, showing them that everything was according to the SOP by EC and there was no breach of strong room. Everything was recorded,” Pandey said.

This was hours after EC introduced a QR-based ID system to strengthen security at the counting centres.

The Election Commission, in a press note, said: “To eliminate the possibility of any unauthorised persons from entering counting centres, the Election Commission of India has introduced a QR code-based Photo Identity Card module on ECINET.”

“A three-tier security mechanism has been prescribed for verification of identity at counting centres. At the first and second tiers, Photo Identity Cards issued by the RO (returning officers) shall be checked manually. At the third and innermost security cordon near the counting hall, entry shall be permitted only after successful verification through QR code scanning,” the EC said.

“The new QR code-based Photo Identity Cards will be applicable for the categories of persons authorised by ECI to enter counting centres and halls, which include Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, counting staff, technical personnel, candidates, election agents and counting agents, among others,” the EC said.

– With Atri Mitra