‘Just spreading rumours’: BJP rejects TMC’s allegations of ballot box ‘tampering’ amid ongoing protests | india news
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday rejected allegations of tampering with postal ballot boxes. On allegations that there is “active collusion” with the BJP Election Commission BJP leader Tapas Roy said, “Ballot boxes are being opened without the presence of any relevant party stakeholders.” He said ruling party leaders were “spreading rumours” as they were “preparing the ground for their defeat” in the assembly elections.Roy reached Netaji Indoor Stadium when TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja protested over the allegations. “We will deploy two people to take care of the strong room… They (TMC) are just spreading rumors because they are preparing the ground for their defeat… There is a three-tier security arrangement here,” he told reporters, as quoted by ANI.“They can’t do that. They can’t gather in front of the strong room.” There should be no protest or sloganeering in front of the strong room. This is wrong. Why did Kolkata Police allow this?…What manipulation are they (TMC) accusing us of? When we heard about it two of us came here. When we were asked to come here, we came.”This came after TMC leader Shashi Panja accused BJP leaders of creating ruckus and said the protest was peaceful before their arrival. He said, “We were sitting on the dharna peacefully…BJP leaders created ruckus here.”TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also accused the BJP and questioned why he and others were not allowed entry during Roy’s tenure. “We were removed, but Tapas da moved in. What do you call this? It is like his own party office. These are agents of the Central Police along with BJP people… It is not in the hands of the Kolkata Police; even all the Kolkata Police personnel are now appointed by the Election Commission. As a result, our...Hey, if he is a candidate then we are also candidates. “Will you remove a candidate?” He said.“We were there peacefully. They came here with the intention of stealing; they were working secretly here, opening the strong room without informing anyone before our people arrived. After Dr. Panza, I and our team arrived, we intervened and pointed this out. Yet, we were not allowed to enter. Later, when we were sitting peacefully and our work and discussion was going on, BJP came and created trouble. Why is BJP so jealous?” He added.The matter escalated further when TMC accused BJP of “killing democracy in broad daylight”.In a post on Twitter, the party also shared a video and described the alleged “opening of ballot boxes” as gross electoral fraud. “Worryingly, this is the murder of democracy in broad daylight. CCTV footage has revealed how @BJP4India, in active collusion with @ECISVEEP, is opening ballot boxes without the presence of any concerned party stakeholders. This is blatant electoral fraud which is being carried out openly with the full knowledge and patronage of the Election Commission,” the party said.The party further accused the BJP of adopting “every dirty trick” to defeat it in the assembly elections and “even tampering with EVMs” in desperation. “They have tried every dirty trick, name-dropping, voter intimidation, central force terror, cash infusion and so on, and have failed miserably. Now, in sheer desperation, they have resorted to tampering with EVMs. But Bengal is not Maharashtra, Delhi or Bihar. We will not sit silent and watch them loot our democracy,” he said.The development comes a day after the second and final phase of voting in West Bengal, which saw 92.67 percent voting. Counting of votes is to take place on May 4.
“To eliminate the possibility of entry of any unauthorized person into the counting centres, the Election Commission of India has introduced a QR code-based photo identity card module on ECINET,” the commission said in a statement on Thursday.This system – being introduced for the recently concluded elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry – will be extended to all future elections to the Lok Sabha and State/UT Assemblies.Under the vote counting arrangements on May 4, a three-tier security mechanism has been set up for identity verification at the counting centres. At the first and second level, photo identity cards issued by the respective returning officers will be manually scrutinized. Entry will be allowed only after successful verification through QR-code scanning in the third and innermost security circle near the counting hall.The new QR code-based photo identity cards will be applicable for categories of persons authorized by the ECI to enter counting centers and halls, including Returning Officers (ROs), Assistant Returning Officers, counting staff, technical personnel, candidates, election agents and counting agents.“This important initiative is in continuation of the series of over 30 initiatives taken by the Election Commission of India over the past one year, including the introduction of standardized QR code-based photo ID cards for key officials, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) involved in conducting the Special Intensive Vetting (SIR) exercise.A media center will be set up near the counting hall in each counting center for the convenience of authorized media persons. As per the existing instructions of the Commission, entry of media persons will continue to be allowed on the basis of authorization letters issued by the EC.District Election Officers (DEOs) and Returning Officers (ROs) have been directed to make all necessary arrangements for effective implementation of this system, including deployment of trained personnel at designated checkpoints to ensure seamless and secure access control.According to an Election Commission spokesperson, all Chief Electoral Officers, DEOs, ROs and Assistant ROs have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the latest instructions of the Election Commission “to maintain the highest standards of transparency, security and efficiency in the counting process”.
