Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 4 : Chaos erupted at the Sakhawat Memorial counting hall on Monday as the BJP launched a formal protest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging a gross violation of Election Commission (EC) protocols during the ongoing vote count.
Suryanil Das, the chief election agent for Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, has demanded an immediate halt to the counting process until "responsibility is fixed" for what he describes as a systemic security failure.
According to Das, the Chief Minister bypassed mandatory security checks that apply to all candidates and agents. The BJP's primary grievances include allegations that Banerjee entered the premises without a valid, QR-coded ID card mandated by the EC.
He claimed that the CM was permitted to carry a mobile phone into the counting hall, a strict violation of neutral zone regulations. Das accused the West Bengal Police of "forgetting its responsibility" and allowing the TMC chairperson to bypass the rules.
Talking to the reporters, Suryanil Das said, "Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee entered the premises with her mobile phone and without an ID card. The Election Commission has mandated that ID cards must have a QR code, which must be scanned before being allowed into the counting hall. How was she allowed inside if she didn't have an ID card? How was she allowed to carry a phone? Counting will not take place until responsibility is fixed for who did this. The Bengal Police has forgotten its responsibility... Mamata Banerjee is violating the rules..."
Meanwhile, as results of the counting of votes by the Election Commission trickled in West Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress candidate from Bhabanipur, Mamata Banerjee, visited the Sakhawat Memorial counting hall in Kolkata. She claimed that counting was halted at several places and accused the Election Commission of India and the central forces of acting unfairly.
BJP candidates were declared winners in four constituencies -Kalipong, Monteswar, Bhatar and Asansol (Dakshin) and were projected as leading in 195 seats in the West Bengal assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee is continuing to maintain a strong lead in the Bhabanipur assembly seat over BJP's Suvendu Adhikari after the completion of 12 rounds of counting
As the BJP crossed the halfway mark in the 294-member assembly as per early leads, the Chief Minister, in a self-made video, urged counting agents of her party not to leave counting venues."
Do not lose heart, we will win after sundown," she said.
"Everything is being reported wrong. The Election Commission is working entirely as per its own will, and central forces are also with them. The police are also working with the central forces," Mamata Banerjee alleged.
She also alleged that counting has been halted at many places as a tactic to benefit the BJP.
"Counting agents and candidates should not leave the counting centre. This is the BJP's plan, I have been saying this since yesterday that they will be shown ahead first. They have stopped counting at many places. Such machines have been found in Kalyani, where there is no match; atrocities are being committed against TMC from all sides through central forces," she said.
However, if the current counting trends in West Bengal persist, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to comfortably cross the halfway mark of 147 seats and emerge as the single largest party in West Bengal. This will increase the states governed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to 21.
West Bengal recorded the highest-ever voter turnout since independence, with an impressive 91.66% polling in Phase-II of the Assembly elections. In the phase-I poll, participation was 93.19%, taking the combined poll percentage to 92.47%.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee secured a decisive mandate, winning 213 out of 294 seats with a vote share of around 48 per cent, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats and roughly 38 per cent votes, marking a sharp rise from its previous tally. The Left-Congress alliance failed to win any seats.
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