New Delhi: There was mutual conflict on the streets of Kolkata. Election Commission And a few days after the West Bengal Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress staged a protest inside the strongroom containing EVMs, alleging irregularities.Allegations of procedural flaws, TMC The leaders claimed that party workers deployed outside the strongroom were asked to leave in the afternoon and were later informed that the strongroom would be reopened at 4 pm.Speaking on the incident, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Party workers and supporters were present outside the strongroom till 3.30 pm. Suddenly, an email was sent stating that the strongroom would be reopened at 4 pm. We contacted our workers and they said they had left. We then reached here. Now we are not being allowed to enter. BJP Being invited.”In a post on Twitter, TMC described the “act” as “murder of democracy in broad daylight”, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of colluding with the Election Commission to tamper with ballot boxes and EVMs during the ongoing voting process.In a strongly worded statement, the party claimed CCTV footage showed ballot boxes being opened without the presence of authorized representatives of political parties, terming it “gross electoral fraud”.TMC further alleged that efforts such as voter intimidation, name deletion and misuse of central forces had failed, forcing the BJP to resort to “desperate measures” such as tampering with EVMs.TMC posted, “CCTV footage has revealed how BJP, in active collusion with @ECISVEEP, is opening ballot boxes without the presence of any concerned party stakeholders. This is blatant electoral fraud being carried out openly with the full knowledge and patronage of the Election Commission.”Mamta reached counting centerThe matter got worse after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee Braving torrential rains in the city, they reached the counting center for Bhabanipur assembly constituency.Claiming that her party has received reports of EVM tampering in several parts of the state, Mamata said, “There is a strongroom for EVMs here. We found that tampering was happening at many places. When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought I should also go and see. Initially the central forces did not let me inside.” But according to our election rules, candidates and election agents of any party are allowed to go to the sealed room.“The Chief Minister also urged the citizens to maintain peace and harmony during this crucial time. “Victory is certain,” he said.“Bengal refuses to bow before the Bohiragotos of Delhi and Gujarat, who want to subjugate a people whose soul they can never understand. Every act of wrongdoing against our people, every encroachment and every harsh strategy of the BJP and their central forces will be responded to. Once the results are out, the full price for every crime will be paid through the ruthless power of the democratic process,” TMC wrote on Twitter.BJP counterattacks on TMC’s strikeBJP responded to TMC’s protest when its leaders from Maniktala and Chowringhee reached the spot. He also argued with senior police officials on why TMC workers were allowed to gather at a sensitive site and raise slogans.BJP leaders present at the venue alleged that TMC was “creating a false narrative and lying to the people”.Tapas Roy said, “I came to know about the ruckus and reached the spot and saw TMC supporters shouting outside the venue, which they cannot do at such a sensitive place. They should not have been allowed to gather here. They verbally abused us.”“I heard that the district election officer took the TMC candidates inside to show that there was nothing wrong in the strongroom,” he said.BJP workers also stopped the movement of the TMC vehicle, accusing it of carrying suspicious items.A worker claimed, “There is something in the vehicle. Mamata Banerjee has brought something in her vehicle. The vehicle will not be allowed to move forward.”Another BJP worker said, “They (TMC) will install duplicate machines and tamper with them… What is the TMC vehicle doing outside the counting centre?”EC rejected chargeHowever, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said the EVM strong rooms are “safe and secure” and added that there was no “dispute” in the incident.Aggarwal told news agency ANI, “No CCTV was switched off. CCTV footage of all 8 strong rooms, 7 of EVMs and 1 of postal ballot, are being circulated. People from political parties can sit beyond the three-tier security and see it. They noticed some movement around 4 pm when our staff were opening the postal ballot room. As per the rule, all political parties were informed, and all candidates were sent to the RO. (Returning Officer).” Agarwal said, “They should have come here…after 4 pm, 3 candidates had come, and all they saw was that the EVM strong room was sealed, while the postal ballot strong room was open. After this the 3 left.”He said, “There will be no law and order situation. These things keep happening. The law and order situation is fine. Just like the elections, the counting of votes will also be 100 per cent clean.”Aggarwal insisted that the Election Commission has “nothing to hide”, stressing that they will not allow any “disturbances” in the voting processes.In an apparent reference to the video posted by the Trinamool Congress on its X handle, officials said all strong rooms containing polled EVMs have been safely secured and sealed. He noted that there was regular separation of postal ballots.HC rejects TMC’s petitionIn another development, the Calcutta High Court also dismissed TMC’s plea challenging the Election Commission of India’s direction to deploy central government and PSU employees for counting of votes.The court upheld the validity of the decision to employ Central Government/PSU employees as supervisors and assistants and dismissed the writ petition.It was observed that any grievance can be raised through an election petition under Section 100 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.Earlier, Mamata had alleged that “observers from outside” and police officers unfamiliar with Bengal were being deployed to target TMC workers during the second phase of voting.The fear of SIR dominated the Bengal elections and it is believed that this is the reason behind the highest turnout in Bengal since independence. However, political tension also increased between TMC and BJP over the deployment of security forces on the polling day.Centre-state rivalry, controversy over particularly intensive revision of electoral rolls and several other factors have made the Bengal Assembly elections one of the most tightly contested in recent memory.Most exit polls have predicted a close contest between TMC and BJP, with both parties getting around 145-145 seats in the 294-member assembly, while smaller parties and independent candidates are expected to have only a marginal presence.

We stopped ‘Operation Sindoor’ on our own terms, ready for a long fight: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: The Defense Minister said, recalling an old mantra ‘Bhay Bin Hoye Na Preet’ (There can be no love without fear). -Rajnath Singh “Operation Sindoor sent a clear global message that India is no longer bound by the old mentality of only issuing diplomatic statements when terrorist attacks occur on its soil,” it said on Thursday. “A powerful resistance is essential for peace and stability in international relations.”Ahead of the anniversary of Operation Sindoor on May 7, the Defense Minister during the ANI National Security Summit here described Pakistan as the epicenter of international terrorism and stressed that the ideological and political roots of terrorism need to be uprooted. “Terrorism arises from a distorted mindset. Attempts are made to justify it by giving it a religious color or by linking it to violent ideology.” This is a stain on the entire humanity. Today India is known all over the world for IT i.e. Information Technology, whereas Pakistan is considered the second IT i.e. center of international terrorism.Rajnath’s strong statement comes at a time when Pakistan, which is home to terrorist organizations like Lashkar and Jaish, is trying to play the role of peacemaker in the US-Iran talks. He said, “Operation Sindoor sent a clear global message that India is no longer bound by the old mindset of merely issuing diplomatic statements when terrorist attacks occur on its soil. This operation was a concrete expression of deterrence.”“Operation Sindoor may have been completed in just 72 hours, but I want to clarify that the preparation behind it was much longer. Operation Sindoor is still ongoing. And we are fully prepared to fight a long battle if necessary. Our surge capability, our storage capacity, the reliability of our indigenous weapons – all these have become part of our deterrence today,” he said, adding that the operation showcased India’s tri-service military strength and synergy.Emphasizing on the role of AI in various sectors, he said, “Sudarshan Air Defense System is a massive project which is a prime example of exemplary application of AI. By leveraging AI, machine learning and big data science, our defense forces have drawn up a roadmap to enhance their capabilities in response to emerging AI-based challenges. This strategy will prove to be vital in making them even more adaptable and responsive in the future.On his recent visit to Germany, Rajnath called it a testament to India’s growing credibility and said that major companies across Europe are keen to collaborate with our private defense companies and PSUs.

Mamata Banerjee raised concern over EVMs, vowed to fight ‘life and death’ before counting

New Delhi: With just days left for counting for the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Bhabanipur strong room in Kolkata on Thursday night, and raised concerns over alleged tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs).Banerjee, who is contesting against Suvendu Adhikari, claimed that her party has received reports of “manipulation” in several parts of the state. He said, “There is a strong room here for EVMs. We found that there are irregularities at many places… When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought I should also go and see.”He also alleged obstruction by central forces during his visit. “Initially, the central forces did not allow me to enter. But as per our election rules, candidates and election agents of any party are allowed access to the sealed room,” he said.

‘Will fight between life and death’

Accusing the Election Commission of India of bias, Banerjee said, “Our agent has been arrested, such a one-sided thing has happened. Even after that, if someone tries to steal the EVM machine, if someone tries to steal the counting, we will fight together with life and death.”At the same time, he appealed for calm and urged citizens to maintain calm during the sensitive period, adding that “victory is certain.”The Trinamool Congress also issued a sharp political message, saying “every wrongdoing” and “heavy-weapon tactics” of the BJP and central forces would be answered through the democratic process.Most exit polls project a Bharatiya Janata Party victory, potentially ending TMC’s 15-year rule.Chanakya Strategies estimates that BJP may win 150-160 seats in the 294-member assembly, while TMC may get 30-40 seats.

record voter turnout

The elections saw historic participation, with West Bengal recording the highest turnout since independence. According to the Election Commission, the second phase of voting stood at 91.66%, while the first phase of voting was recorded at 93.19%, taking the combined turnout to 92.47%.Female voter participation stood at 92.28%, slightly ahead of male voters at 91.07%, reflecting broad-based participation despite political tensions during voting, including controversies over security deployment.The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4, with both camps set to keep a close eye on the results.