‘Murder of democracy’: TMC alleges EVM tampering, Mamata Banerjee to visit site

Tensions escalated in West Bengal on Thursday evening after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged irregularities inside Netaji Indoor stadium in Kolkata where electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been stored ahead of counting.

According to party sources, EVMs have been kept at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre. TMC leaders claimed that party workers and supporters were present outside the strong room till around 3 pm, after which they were allegedly removed.

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Soon after the information surfaced, senior TMC leaders, including Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, reached the spot and began a protest outside the premises.

Party leaders also alleged that activities were taking place inside the strong room, citing visuals from live streaming.

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The party further claimed that Mamata Banerjee would personally visit the location later in the night to assess the situation. Earlier in the day, Banerjee had warned that there could be attempts to tamper with EVMs during their movement from strong rooms to counting centres.

In a post on X, All India Trinamool Congress described the situation as “alarming” and alleged that ballot boxes were being opened without the presence of authorised party representatives. The party accused the BJP and the Election Commission of India of collusion, terming it a “gross electoral fraud”.

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The statement further claimed that after alleged attempts at voter intimidation and other tactics failed, there were now efforts to tamper with EVMs. It asserted that TMC leaders were already staging a dharna outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium and that Banerjee would visit the site.

Separately, Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose also raised concerns on social media, alleging attempts to open ballot boxes inside the stadium without party representatives present.

There was no immediate response from the Election Commission or the BJP regarding the allegations at the time of filing this report.