Bengal Battle: Election Commission rejects charge of ballot box tampering

The drama unfolded after leaked video footage purportedly showed people inside a counting centre and apparently segregating postal ballots.

Soon after this, TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh reached the counting centre and sat on a dharna. They began a sit-in protest outside the EVM strongroom in Kolkata, alleging ballot boxes were being opened without the presence of authorised party representatives.

When asked about the development, Election Commission of India (ECI) sources informed that they had taken cognisance of the incident and the state Chief Election Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal would look into the matter and respond. Later, the allegations were rejected by the poll body, sources said.

Referring to the purported videos, the Election Commission sources said that all the strongrooms inside the stadium had been duly closed and sealed in the presence of candidates and election agents and general observer after completion of polling on April 29. They added that the last strongroom was closed on Thursday morning at around 5.15 am.

All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed, they said.

ECI officials further informed that there is another strongroom on the same premises for postal ballot wherein the Assembly constituency-wise polled ballots as done by different polling personnel and Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETBPS) have been kept.

"We had notified all observers, returning officers and requested them to inform their candidates and agents about this. This was duly done by mail. The segregation of the ballot was taking place in the corridor of strongrooms containing polled ballots from 4 pm. The main strongrooms are safely secured and locked," an EC official said.

They added that both Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh as well as another BJP leader were shown the locked strongrooms.

Meanwhile, a large posse of security personnel were seen outside the counting centre with several political leaders, mainly from the TMC, reaching the Netaji stadium.

Postal ballots are counted immediately before EVM machines are opened for counting on the day of the declaration of results.

Meanwhile, the ECI was also actively looking into demands for re-polling on 77 booths across four Assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas district after the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections held on April 29. Allegations of EVM tampering had emerged on these booths, poll body sources said.

Whether any re-polling will be necessitated on these booths is something which will be decided by the ECI, depending on the basis of the recommendation of state CEO Manoj Agarwal, sources told The Tribune.

The poll panel had received 32 complaints of re-polling from Falta, followed by Diamond Harbour (29), Magrahat (13) and three from Budge Budge, they said. All of the booths fall under Abhishek Banerjee's Lok Sabha constituency.

Demands for re-polling are generally made by political parties, candidates, polling agents or even observers, citing specific irregularities such as EVM malfunction, booth capturing, intimidation or violation of the secrecy of voting.

The complaints, which surfaced soon after polling concluded on April 29, included allegations of EVM tampering, use of substances on machines and attempts to obstruct surveillance cameras. "The ECI is looking into the incidents and will take a decision soon," an ECI official said.

However, till the time of going to the press, no decision had been taken by the state CEO on re-polling on the complaints of EVM tampering.