Election 2026 LIVE: EC says postal ballot strong room opened as per protocol as Trinamool alleges tampering

ELection 2026 unrecorded: Election direction denied the TMC allegations that potal ballots warm elbow room was opened without front of all party representatives. EC officials said eight strong rooms have been set up at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. Seven of these store EVMs from assembly constituencies in North Kolkata, while the eighth contains postal ballots of polling personnel. According to officials, the strong room with postal ballots was opened in the presence of representatives of political parties, with the TMC also invited.They added that the strong room was opened to segregate postal ballots before dispatching them to the respective districts, and that the process was carried out strictly as per protocol by senior government officials appointed as Assistant Returning Officers.Political tensions escalated in Kolkata a day after the conclusion of the second and final phase of assembly polling, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleging that ballot boxes were opened without the presence of authorised party representatives. The allegations triggered protests, with party leaders staging a dharna outside Netaji Indoor Stadium.TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleging that live-streamed footage from CCTV cameras revealed the presence of outsiders inside the strongrooms who were “fiddling with ballot papers” from the machines.“Party workers and supporters were present outside the strongroom till 3.30 pm. Suddenly, an email was sent informing that the strongroom would be opened again at 4 pm. We contacted our workers, and they said they had left. We then rushed here. Now we are not being allowed to enter. BJP is being invited,” Ghosh, who is contesting from Beleghata, alleged.West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the strong room in Bhabanipur late Thursday night, asserting that her party would resist any attempt to tamper with electronic voting machines (EVMs). Banerjee, who is contesting from the constituency against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, said she acted after receiving reports of alleged irregularities across the state.Election Commission officials rejected the claims, while BJP leaders accused the ruling party of spreading misinformation. The TMC later called off its protest at the venue.Also Read | Today's Chanakya exit polls results: BJP sweep with 192+ seats in Bengal; edge to DMK in TN“Our agent has been arrested; there has been so much one-sidedness. Even after that, if someone tries to steal the EVM machine, if someone tries to steal the counting, then we will fight life and death together,” said Mamata.Suvendu Adhikari, meanwhile, posted on X that he had deployed a polling agent at the strong room in Kolkata where Mamata Banerjee was present last night to ensure she was kept under strict surveillance. He shared CCTV footage of Banerjee and the BJP polling agent inside the strong room and wrote: “As long as she was present in the strong room premises, my election agent, Advocate Suryanil Das, was personally there keeping her under strict surveillance so that she could not resort to any dishonest means.”BJP making govt in Bengal, as per Chanakya's exit poll predictionsFor West Bengal, Chanakya has projected a sweeping victory for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, estimating 192–203 seats. The incumbent Trinamool Congress-led alliance is expected to secure 100–111 seats, while others may get 2–4 seats.Other pollsters, including Peoples Pulse, Matrize and, P-Marq, have projected that BJP is likely to give a tough fight to TMC in the elections. However, Axis My India did not release their predictions citing lack of enough feedback from the voters after two phases of voting.Projections in other states?The DMK-led alliance is set for comfortable win in Tamil Nadu, majority of pollsters predicted including Chanakya. The pollster also predicted a victory for BJP-led NDA in Assam and an edge for the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, with the LDF trailing closely. Exit polls for Puducherry’s 30-seat assembly indicate a clear advantage for the NDA, with most agencies projecting it in the lead, often nearing or crossing the halfway mark.Assembly election results out on May 4The Election Commission of India conducted polling in Assam and Kerala on April 9, while West Bengal and Tamil Nadu voted on April 23, with a second phase in Bengal held on April 29.The results for all four state assemblies, along with Puducherry, will be announced by the poll body on May 4.