Kolkata Police Ban Gatherings Near EVM Strongrooms After Trinamool Allegations

Key facts

• Kolkata Police banned gatherings in seven areas where EVM strongrooms are located.
• Trinamool Congress candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Shakhawat Memorial counting centre during the protest.
• West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal dismissed the allegations of suspicious activities.
• Agarwal stated that strongrooms were sealed in the presence of candidates and agents, and postal ballots were sorted in torchlight.
• The protest ended after Agarwal's clarification, with Trinamool leaders leaving the venue.
• EVMs for seven north Kolkata constituencies are stored at Netaji Indoor Stadium and Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.

Police Impose Prohibitory Orders in Seven Zones

The Kolkata Police have banned gatherings in seven areas where electronic voting machines from the Assembly elections are stored. The prohibitory orders cover Sahid Kshudiram Bose Road, Judge's Court Road, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour Road, Lord Sinha Hall, Naresh Mitra Sarani, and Pramathesh Barua Sarani. The move follows a night of high drama after the Trinamool Congress alleged suspicious activities at two strongrooms. Workers from the Trinamool and the Bharatiya Janata Party clashed outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium counting centre, with slogans and a brief confrontation.

Trinamool Leaders Protest Alleged Tampering

Trinamool Congress candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja launched a sit-in demonstration on Thursday evening in front of the strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. They claimed that the strongroom was opened without any party representative present and that unknown persons had been allowed inside. Rajya Sabha MP Sagorika Ghose posted on X that attempts were being made to open ballot boxes without party representatives. She attached a video purportedly showing people inside a room. Ghosh said party workers had been stationed outside until around 3:30pm but were removed, and an email informed them the strongroom would reopen at 4pm. By the time he and Panja arrived, they were not allowed inside.

Chief Minister Joins Protest, Election Officer Rejects Claims

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the Shakhawat Memorial counting centre late Thursday evening to support her party colleagues. The Trinamool, which won all seven north Kolkata seats in the last election, shared images of people inside the strongroom at Netaji Indoor Stadium, questioning their identities. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal dismissed the allegations outright. He said the strongrooms at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra house EVMs from seven assembly constituencies and were properly closed and sealed in the presence of candidates, election agents, and observers. The last strongroom was closed at 5:15 am on Thursday.

Postal Ballot Sorting in Torchlight Explained

Agarwal clarified that another strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra holds postal ballots from various centres, which were being sorted by polling officials. He said returning officers informed political parties via email about the exercise, and representatives of both the Trinamool and the BJP were shown everything. Because electricity is not allowed in the strongrooms, the segregation of postal ballots for the seven constituencies was carried out in torchlight. Agarwal stated that this was what Trinamool leaders wrongly called suspicious activities. Following his comments, the Trinamool leaders ended their protest and left the venue.

Background and Stakes for May 4 Counting

The EVMs for all seven north Kolkata constituencies – Beleghata, Chowringhee, Entally, Jorasanko, Kashipur-Belgachhia, Maniktala and Shyampukur – are stored at Netaji Indoor Stadium and adjacent Khudiram Anushilan Kendra for counting on May 4. Two BJP nominees, Tapas Roy from Maniktala and Santosh Pathak from Chowringhee, were also present at the spot during the protest. The Trinamool Congress had won all seven seats in north Kolkata and all four in the south in the previous Assembly election. The allegations and the police response underscore the heightened tensions as the state gears up for the counting of votes.

Outlook: Calm Restored but Tensions Remain

With the election officer's clarification and the lifting of the protest, calm has been restored at the counting centres. However, the incident highlights the deep mistrust between the ruling party and the election commission, and the potential for flashpoints as the counting process unfolds. The prohibitory orders remain in place, and the police are maintaining a heavy presence. All eyes will be on May 4, when the votes are counted and the political future of West Bengal is decided.

The bottom line

• Kolkata Police banned gatherings in seven areas near EVM strongrooms after Trinamool Congress protests.
• Trinamool leaders alleged tampering, but the chief electoral officer said strongrooms were sealed properly and postal ballots sorted in torchlight.
• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally visited a counting centre during the protest.
• The protest ended after the election officer's explanation, with no evidence of wrongdoing found.
• Counting of votes for all 294 Assembly seats is scheduled for May 4, with heightened security.