Bengal EVM Row: Mamata Stages Strongroom Vigil, HC Dismisses TMC Plea

TMC alleges EVM tampering ahead of May 4 counting; Election Commission denies all claims, court upholds EC arrangement.

Bengal EVM Controversy Intensifies Before Counting Day; High Court Dismisses TMC Challenge

As West Bengal braces for the high-stakes Assembly Election 2026 counting scheduled for May 4, a sharp dispute has erupted between the Trinamool Congress and the Election Commission of India over the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines stored in strongrooms across the state. TMC leaders alleged that EVMs were being handled in violation of election norms, claiming CCTV footage pointed to possible tampering and collusion involving security personnel. The Election Commission officially denied all allegations, stating strongrooms remain fully secure and under round-the-clock paramilitary surveillance.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally visited the EVM strongroom at Sakhawat Memorial School in Bhabanipur, Kolkata, remaining on-site for over three hours in what her party described as a show of vigilance. “Anyone who touches an EVM will face a life-and-death fight,” she declared, according to TMC. In a parallel demonstration, senior TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh staged a late-night dharna outside a strongroom near Netaji Indoor Stadium, demanding uninterrupted transparency and continuous party monitoring of machines until counting commences.

At the booth level, TMC alleged specific irregularities in Falta and Diamond Harbour, where party representatives claimed tape or ink had allegedly been placed over candidate buttons on certain machines. The party described the overall situation as a “murder of democracy,” accusing the BJP and elements within the Election Commission’s security apparatus of acting in concert to alter results before counting. The BJP officially rejected these characterisations, calling TMC’s allegations a pre-emptive blame-game designed to discredit an anticipated adverse election outcome.

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal officially stated that all strongrooms are secure and denied the existence of any controversy. He confirmed that CCTV feeds from strongrooms remain live and are accessible to party representatives from outside the facilities at all times. The EC clarified that the activity TMC complained about was routine, permitted shifting and segregation of postal ballots — a standard procedure under election rules. The Commission confirmed that no CCTV cameras were switched off, and that additional cameras were installed at key counting centres for 24-hour surveillance ahead of May 4. The ECI further stated that re-polling would be ordered only in booths where district officers or observers independently confirm actual tampering, and that FIRs would be filed against those responsible if any violation is established.

On the legal front, the TMC-led state government filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the Election Commission’s deployment of central government employees as counting supervisors and raising broader concerns about strongroom procedures. The High Court dismissed the plea, ruling that the use of central observers and micro-supervisors, combined with CCTV coverage of strongrooms, ensured adequate transparency, and that the EC’s arrangements were entirely lawful. Separately, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has an unrelated petition pending before the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls — a distinct dispute from the EVM tampering controversy, though connected to the same election cycle.

With counting set for May 4, the outcome carries enormous consequence for both TMC, which has governed West Bengal since 2011, and for the BJP, which has been mounting a sustained challenge to unseat it. Surveillance of strongrooms remains active, CCTV feeds continue to be shared with all political parties, and central paramilitary forces are stationed at all sensitive locations. Both parties have deployed workers at counting centres, and political tension in the state is expected to remain elevated until results are declared.

This is a developing story. NewsBreak24 will continue to monitor all official announcements from the Election Commission of India and court proceedings as counting day approaches. Readers are advised to follow only verified official sources for updates on the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026.