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.