Tampering claims, chaos: Blow-by-blow of TMC vs BJP late-night EVM showdown in Kolkata

HIgh dramatic event ensued in calcutta on th, a daytime after the polling concluded in Bengal assemblage polls, after the Trinamool Congress claimed that the BJP and the Election Commission were attempting to open postal ballots in the absence of party representatives.Soon after, TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh reached the site in Kolkata and held a sit-in protest outside the strongroom where the ballots were stored. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee was also expected to join the protest.Also Read: ‘Exit polls rigged, stay up all night': Mamata Banerjee calls for guarding EVMs after Bengal projectionsThe allegations came even as a majority of pollsters predicted the BJP winning the assembly elections, barring a few giving a fourth term to Mamata.Here is a blow by blow account of what unfolded on Thursday evening:TMC ‘ballot tampering’ charge: The TMC leaders claimed that the BJP, in the presence of EC officials, made attempts to open ballot boxes in the absence of relevant party representatives. TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh sat on a dharna in front of the strong room, outside Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.'BJP sending people inside strongroom': TMC leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that some people are tampering with the postal ballots inside the strong room, adding that no TMC representatives were present there. He further said the “BJP's theft was caught”. “You can watch the livestreaming and CCTV camera of the Election Commission, where a few people are working inside. None of our representatives is inside... They are not letting us in. There is no transparency. They (BJP) are sending their people inside the strong room and tampering with the postal ballots,” Ghosh told reporters outside the strongroom.Also Read: High drama in Kolkata as TMC claims ballot box opening, Mamata Banerjee to reach soonTMC shares video to back claim: The TMC shared a CCTV footage of what it claimed was from inside the strong room in the Bengal capital. In the social media post, TMC claimed that the footage exposed how BJP in collusion with the Election Commission opened ballot boxes without the presence of any relevant stakeholders. "This is gross electoral fraud being committed openly with the full knowledge and protection of the Election Commission," it added.Mamata's ‘guard EVM’ appeal: The drama comes barely hours after chief minister Mamata Banerjee rubbished exit poll results and urged TMC workers to guard EVMs. “They plan to swap EVMs .... Till the time I hold a press conference and declare, do not leave counting tables ... They might change data in computers, giving our numbers to BJP and BJP's to us, I myself will go to the counting hall, I can do that as a candidate. You have gone through so much. Please bear slightly more to save Bengal,” Mamata said in a video on X.Security tightened outside strongroom: In view of the TMC protest and a law-and-order situation, Security forces were deployed in Kolkata. A video shared by news agency ANI showed several security personnel deployed outside the strongroom in Kolkata.Also Read: BJP's continuity in Assam, debut in Bengal, Vijay magic in Tamil Nadu: Full list of exit poll resultsElection Commission responds: Poll body officials clarified that the strong rooms where the EVMs are stored are safely secured and sealed. The official said that the segregation of the ballot was taking place in the corridor of strong rooms and the Returning Officers. "⁠There is another strong room in the same premise for Postal ballot wherein we have kept AC wise polled ballots as done by different polling personnel and ETBPS. ⁠We had notified all Observers, ROs and requested ROs to inform their candidates and agents about this," an EC official told ANI.What BJP said: The BJP rubbished TMC rumours, saying that the Mamata's party was preparing for its defeat. “We will deploy two persons to look after the strong room...They (TMC) are just spreading rumours as they are preparing ground for their defeat...Three-layer security arrangements are here,” BJP leader Tapas Roy said.