Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 1 : With two days left for counting of Assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Bhabanipur strong room in Kolkata late Thursday night and said that her party will prevent all attempts, if made, to tamper with electronic voting machines.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Bhabanipur strong room. TMC supremo here is facing BJP's Suvendu Adhikari.
Claiming that her party received reports of EVM tampering in many parts of the state, Banerjee said, "There is a strong room here for EVMs. We found that in many places, manipulation is taking place. When I saw the CCTV on TV, I thought I should also go and see it. Initially, the Central Forces wouldn't let me enter. But according to our election rules, the candidate and election agent of any party are allowed up to the sealed room."
Asserting that TMC is facing a biased stance from the Election Commission of India, CM Banerjee said, "Our agent has been arrested; there has been so much one-sidedness. Even after that, if someone tries to steal the EVM machine, if someone tries to steal the counting, then we will fight life and death together."
Also, the Chief Minister urged every citizen to maintain peace and harmony during this crucial time. "Victory is Certain," she said.
"Bengal refuses to bow to the Bohiragotos of Delhi and Gujarat, who seek to subjugate a people whose soul they can never understand. Every act of wrongdoing against our people, every overreach, and every heavy-handed tactic by the BJP and their Central Forces will be answered. Once the results are in, every transgression will be paid for in full through the ruthless power of the democratic process," Trinamool Congress wrote on X.
Most exit polls have predicted a BJP ousting the TMC in West Bengal, which has been in power for the last 15 years. Chanakya Strategies projected the BJP winning 150-160 seats in 294 West Bengal assembly and getting a majority of its own. It said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) would win 30-40 seats and others six to 10 seats.
West Bengal has achieved its highest voter turnout since independence, reaching a historic 91.66 per cent during Phase II of the elections. However, the polling day also witnessed high political tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the deployment of security forces in the state.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), poll participation in West Bengal (Phase-II) stood at 91.66 per cent till 7:45 PM. In phase I of the elections on April 23, the poll participation was 93.19 per cent, resulting in a staggering combined poll percentage over the two phases at 92.47 per cent."The combined poll percentage over the two phases stands at 92.47%. Previously, the highest poll-participation in WB was 84.72% (2011 GELA), " a release from the ECI said.
The voter turnout was high across the board, with female voters leading at 92.28 per cent and male voters not far behind at 91.07 per cent.
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