Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: High-voltage drama erupted in West Bengal after a sit-in was staged by members of Trinamool Congress (TMC) after irregularity allegations inside a strongroom housing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee immediately reached the strongroom and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of allowing “malicious” activity without opposition oversight.
Bengal Assembly Elections 2026-Turn Of Events
Some TMC party workers alleged irregularities were being committed in a strongroom housing EVMs and the sitting CM reached the premises at Sakhawat Memorial School in South Kolkata, which is the reception and distribution centre for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.
Mamata Banerjee stayed inside for more than 3 hours. Interestingly, Mamata is a candidate from Bhabanipur and claimed that she wasn’t initially allowed entry by security personnel but went inside after receiving permission.
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Mamata Banerjee remarked that she would fight all her life and issued a stern warning to anyone who is found tampering with or looting EVM machines. Earlier, senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside a strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. It was alleged by TMC that ballot boxes were getting opened in the absence of TMC representatives and termed it a murder of democracy in the state of West Bengal.
Reaction By BJP
Amit Malviya, the national convener of the IT cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party, posted on X that a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, and a chit fund scam-accused member of the TMC, who came to power on stolen mandates, are protesting outside the strong room where EVMs are kept, without any valid reason.
Malviya added that all strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed. He also added that the segregation of ballots was taking place in the corridor of the strong room premises from 4pm in the video and the EC had notified all Observers and ROs, and requested ROs to inform candidates and their agents about the development.
