"Women will guard strong rooms to ensure vote security": BJP's Tanuja Chakraborty ahead of vote counting

Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], May 4 : Ahead of vote counting on Monday, West Bengal BJP vice president Tanuja Chakraborty said women party workers would keep vigil outside strong rooms during vote counting to ensure security and safeguard democratic rights in West Bengal.

Speaking on the issue of post-poll security, Chakraborty said on Sunday that women's safety and protection of votes were key concerns in the state.

"We want women's safety in West Bengal. But in the last election, we saw people looting ballot boxes from strong rooms. Robberies are also rampant in counting centres. So this time, the main issue is women's safety. Security is a key issue in West Bengal," she said.

She further added that ensuring the safety of votes was essential to protecting democratic rights.

"We thought that to ensure women's safety, our democratic right, our vote must be protected first. Therefore, when the counting of these five assembly constituencies takes place here, we women will continuously guard outside the strong room," she said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Sunday issued a stern warning against disruption, promising a transparent and peaceful counting day backed by a massive security apparatus.

In a series of briefings ahead of the count, Agarwal emphasised that the Election Commission has left nothing to chance, deploying a rigorous three-tier security system to guard counting centres across the state.

To ensure the integrity of the process, a multi-layered force has been mobilised. 200 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are dedicated exclusively to counting centres. Security is divided between the State Police, State Armed Police, and CAPF. CCTV cameras have been installed outside counting halls to monitor all movement.

With counting supervisors and agents having undergone multiple rounds of training, the commission aims to replicate the "peaceful voting" environment during the final tally, ensuring the democratic mandate is delivered without interference.

Counting will begin on Monday at 8:00 am with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 am, with results to be updated in real time on ECINET and the official election portal.

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