While Mamata Banerjee camped at the Bhowanipore strongroom on Thursday evening, Suvendu Adhikari visited the premises on Friday KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress and BJP traded allegations over EVM strongroom security on Friday, with a delegation from CM Mamata Banerjee’s party meeting Election Commission officials to demand answers on alleged CCTV blackouts and sealed rooms being opened without party representatives.BJP dismissed the complaints as a desperate search for “excuses” by a party headed for defeat, setting the stage for a tense May 4 counting day.The sharpest charge came from TMC’s Shyampukur candidate Shashi Panja, who told reporters after meeting EC officials that her party had “reason to be suspicious” about people caught on camera entering strongrooms at central Kolkata’s Khudiram Anusilan Kendra.“In a footage from camera no. 17, we noticed people inside strongrooms that had been sealed in the presence of our agents. If you are opening the door, all parties need to be told about this,” Panja said. She said pink postal ballot envelopes were visible in the footage and that no political party’s representative was there when the seal was broken.Panja also questioned the EC’s statement that all parties had been emailed about postal ballot sorting scheduled for Thursday at 4pm. “We wouldn’t have said anything had someone from each of the parties been there. None was present. Then why did you break the seal and open that particular room?” she said. “The moment we, from TMC, noticed human activity there, it became kind of a panic situation.”Panja, mayor Firhad Hakim and councillor Ashim Bose also sought from EC a comprehensive report on alleged CCTV malfunctions in strongrooms across Bengal, unabridged and unedited recordings with detailed logs of all interruption periods, and unrestricted access for authorised representatives to surveillance feeds.The visit to EC office followed a meeting between Mamata and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at her Kalighat home. She had camped at the Bhowanipore EVM strongroom the previous evening, triggering a protest by BJP that culminated in an altercation with TMC members and supporters.Mamata and Abhishek convened an emergency online meeting with TMC counting agents from all 291 seats where they have fielded nominees at 4pm Saturday.Leader of the opposition in state, Suvendu Adhikari, who is also BJP’s candidate for Bhowanipore, posted a CCTV grab of the area outside the Sakhawat Memorial School strongroom in south Kolkata on his X handle, insisting his election agent and advocate Suryanil Das had kept Mamata “under strict surveillance so that she couldn’t resort to dishonest means”.Suvendu visited the strongroom Friday evening, terming it “routine work” that did not need cameras following him.BJP’s Dilip Ghosh was blunter. “TMC is now sure of its defeat. They are trying to shift focus by staying in the strongrooms. They are complaining about everything. This is a clear sign that TMC is being defeated,” he declared. Ghosh accused TMC of deploying goons to rig the polls.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosFuel Prices May Go Up Soon As Oil Firms Face Losses Amid Global Crude SpikeNine Dead As Tourist Boat Capsizes In Jabalpur, Survivors Allege Major Safety LapsesJPMorgan Executive Sued Over Sexual Abuse, Coercion And Racial Harassment Allegations In New YorkJabalpur Boat Tragedy: Mother Found Clutching Child After Bargi Dam Capsize, 9 DeadIndia Launches First Barrier-Less Toll System On NH-48: How MLFF Will Change Highway TravelTamil Nadu Poll Tension: Vijay’s TVK Office Set On Fire, Security Concerns RiseRahul Gandhi Flags Fuel Price Surge After ₹993 LPG Hike, Warns Petrol-Diesel Could Be NextPunjab Assembly Chaos | CM Bhagwant Mann Allegedly ‘Intoxicated’, Opposition Demands Alcohol TestPakistan admits fuel vulnerability amid global oil shock; compares energy security with IndiaCommercial LPG Surges Past ₹3000, Hotels Warn Of Price Hike Impact | Watch123PhotostoriesHow to make South Indian Tamarind Rice for summer lunchMaharashtra Day 2026: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor honours the culinary heritage of the stateBest time to do yoga: Morning vs evening; What works better for your body?How Raghav Chadha’s mango shake differs from a regular mango shake; details insideRaw mango vs ripe mango: Which is a safer, smarter choice for people living with diabetes?From Daffodils to Castor beans: 5 Plants that can be deadly for your pet dog5 situations where staying silent is powerfulSons vs daughters: 5 ways parents treat them differently without realising and the impact it leavesDo Mangoes cause body heat? 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While Mamata Banerjee camped at the Bhowanipore strongroom on Thursday evening, Suvendu Adhikari visited the premises on Friday
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress and BJP traded allegations over EVM strongroom security on Friday, with a delegation from CM Mamata Banerjee’s party meeting Election Commission officials to demand answers on alleged CCTV blackouts and sealed rooms being opened without party representatives.BJP dismissed the complaints as a desperate search for “excuses” by a party headed for defeat, setting the stage for a tense May 4 counting day.The sharpest charge came from TMC’s Shyampukur candidate Shashi Panja, who told reporters after meeting EC officials that her party had “reason to be suspicious” about people caught on camera entering strongrooms at central Kolkata’s Khudiram Anusilan Kendra.“In a footage from camera no. 17, we noticed people inside strongrooms that had been sealed in the presence of our agents. If you are opening the door, all parties need to be told about this,” Panja said. She said pink postal ballot envelopes were visible in the footage and that no political party’s representative was there when the seal was broken.Panja also questioned the EC’s statement that all parties had been emailed about postal ballot sorting scheduled for Thursday at 4pm. “We wouldn’t have said anything had someone from each of the parties been there. None was present. Then why did you break the seal and open that particular room?” she said. “The moment we, from TMC, noticed human activity there, it became kind of a panic situation.”Panja, mayor Firhad Hakim and councillor Ashim Bose also sought from EC a comprehensive report on alleged CCTV malfunctions in strongrooms across Bengal, unabridged and unedited recordings with detailed logs of all interruption periods, and unrestricted access for authorised representatives to surveillance feeds.The visit to EC office followed a meeting between Mamata and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at her Kalighat home. She had camped at the Bhowanipore EVM strongroom the previous evening, triggering a protest by BJP that culminated in an altercation with TMC members and supporters.Mamata and Abhishek convened an emergency online meeting with TMC counting agents from all 291 seats where they have fielded nominees at 4pm Saturday.Leader of the opposition in state, Suvendu Adhikari, who is also BJP’s candidate for Bhowanipore, posted a CCTV grab of the area outside the Sakhawat Memorial School strongroom in south Kolkata on his X handle, insisting his election agent and advocate Suryanil Das had kept Mamata “under strict surveillance so that she couldn’t resort to dishonest means”.Suvendu visited the strongroom Friday evening, terming it “routine work” that did not need cameras following him.BJP’s Dilip Ghosh was blunter. “TMC is now sure of its defeat. They are trying to shift focus by staying in the strongrooms. They are complaining about everything. This is a clear sign that TMC is being defeated,” he declared. Ghosh accused TMC of deploying goons to rig the polls.
