Chaotic scenes continued in West Bengal on Friday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) traded barbs ahead of the assembly election vote count on May 4.
The allegations of irregularities at strongrooms haunted Bengal again on Friday, a day after TMC's sit-in outside central Kolkata's Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several assembly constituencies housing EVM strongrooms.
BJP leaders complained to the Bidhannagar Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) after a strongroom was allegedly opened without authorisation, with six officials suspended.
BJP leader Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay said the strongroom was opened 'early' and had been opened at least 10 times.
TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleging irregularities at some strongrooms in central Kolkata.
The Election Commission dismissed the allegations, stating that poll officials were engaged in segregating postal ballots as per due process and the strongrooms remained secure.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee urged party leaders, workers, and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil over strongrooms housing EVMs.
The Election Commission of India has ordered repolling at 15 booths of South 24 Parganas district as it declared voting conducted at these booths in the second phase on April 29 as 'void'.
