Bhabanipur Boils Over: BJP Blocks TMC Vehicle, Mamata Alleges EVM Tampering Ahead of Counting

The line between vigilance and political theatre continues to blur in Bengal.

Tensions escalated in Bhabanipur assembly constituency late on Thursday night as workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blocked a vehicle belonging to the Trinamool Congress, alleging it was carrying suspicious items ahead of the crucial counting day.

One of the BJP workers claimed that the vehicle was transporting something questionable and insisted that it would not be allowed to move.

"There is something in the vehicle. Mamata Banerjee has brought something in her vehicle. The vehicle will not be allowed to move," he said.

The developments come just two days before counting in the high-stakes Assembly elections, with the Trinamool alleging that ballot boxes were opened without the presence of authorised party representatives shortly after the second and final phase of polling concluded in the state.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by her election agent, visited the counting centre for the Bhabanipur Assembly segment at Sakhawat Memorial School in Kolkata on Thursday evening, raising concerns over possible malpractice.

The TMC supremo is contesting against Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

After spending nearly four hours inside the strongroom, she emerged around 12:07 am with a defiant tone and warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process.

"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.

Is EVM Tampering a Real Threat in Bhabanipur as Mamata Banerjee Raises Alarm?

Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "People's votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter. If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."

Another BJP worker questioned the presence of the TMC vehicle near the counting centre, alleging possible manipulation.

"They (TMC) will put duplicate machines and tamper with them... What is the vehicle of TMC doing outside the counting centre?" he said.

Banerjee further claimed that her party had received reports of EVM tampering in several parts of the state.

Simultaneously, the Trinamool staged a sit-in protest outside a strongroom at Netaji Indoor Stadium in central Kolkata, where EVMs for multiple Assembly constituencies in north Kolkata are stored.

The protest followed a video message by Banerjee warning party workers about the possibility of EVM tampering and urging them to guard strongrooms until counting begins.

Alleging bias, Banerjee said her party was facing a one-sided approach from the Election Commission of India.

"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," she said.

(With inputs from ANI)