Mamata Banerjee: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a significant statement at 1 a.m. on thursday. She says, “If there’s an attempt to steal EVMs and manipulate the vote count, we will risk our lives.” She spent over four hours in the strong room at Kolkata’s Shekhawat Memorial School, the same venue where she is contesting the Bhawanipur seat.
Election Commission’s clarification, everything is safe
Amid these developments, the Election Commission responded, saying, “The State Election Commission mentioned that postal ballots were being sorted. All parties were invited, but none attended. Later, concerns were raised regarding CCTV footage. However, everything is now fine.”
TMC and BJP protest
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders initiated a sit-in protest outside the strong room at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in Kolkata on Wednesday evening. Shortly thereafter, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers also showed up. This protest has intensified the atmosphere surrounding the ongoing election.
A few hours into the sit-in, Election Commission officials tried to manage the situation. At 8 p.m., the Election Commission reassured TMC workers that everything was secure. Nevertheless, security measures were still heightened. At 9 p.m., a TMC worker attempted to enter the strong room, resulting in a tense situation. According to CCTV footage, the disturbance escalated into a serious situation. The TMC shared videos on social media clearly indicating that the BJP and the Election Commission were colluding to rig the election.
Mamata Banerjee visited the strongroom at Sakhawat Memorial School in South Kolkata, the distribution center for the Bhawanipur assembly constituency where EVMs and ballot papers are stored. Her visit came amid allegations by the Trinamool Congress, including claims related to a viral video showing activities around the strongroom.
We will fight with all our lives – Mamata Banerjee
As she emerged from the strong room, Mamata Banerjee said, “If anyone tries to steal EVM machines or tamper with the counting, we will fight with all our lives.” She further said that she will fight with all her life. Describing her visit, Mamata Banerjee said that she took this step after watching CCTV footage. She said, “There is a safe room for EVMs here, but we found that manipulation was taking place at many places. When I saw it on TV, I thought I should come here.”
Political unrest continues in Kolkata
This political drama in Bhawanipur has suddenly drawn everyone’s attention. While the TMC persists with its sit-in protests, the BJP is also attempting to leverage the situation. Such controversies surrounding the electoral process are raising new questions in national politics. As the election date draws closer, all eyes are on the election results. This conflict between political parties suggests that the upcoming electoral process could take even more interesting turns.
