Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 30 : West Bengal minister & TMC candidate from Shyampukur assembly constituency, Shashi Panja and TMC candidate from Belghata assembly constituency, Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in protest on Thursday in front of the strong room outside Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata over allegations that the BJP and Election Commission of India are attempting to open EVM and VVPAT boxes without relevant party representatives.
Speaking with ANI here, Ghosh alleged that some people are tampering with the postal ballots inside the strong room, adding that no TMC representatives are present there, and that the alleged act is conspicuously shown on CCTV.
"You can watch the livestreaming and CCTV camera of the Election Commission, where a few people are working inside. None of our representatives is inside...They are not letting us in. There is no transparency. They (BJP) are sending their people inside the strong room and tampering with the postal ballots...Shashi Panja and I are sitting on a protest...The party will take further action regarding this incident," he said.
TMC leader Shashi Panja questioned the identity of the people inside the room, alleging that "something fishy is going on."
"Who are the ones inside the strong room?... One cannot go inside the strong room...We should have information about what is happening inside the strong room...Something fishy is going on...There are loopholes in the system," she argued.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened outside the strong room amid the ongoing tensions.
Earlier, Trinamool Congress on Thursday levelled stern allegations of the opening of ballot boxes in the strong room in Kolkata without the presence of any relevant party stakeholders, accusing the Election Commission and the BJP of collusion.
In a post on X, All India Trinamool Congress called it a "murder of democracy" and affirmed that party leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh are holding a sit-in protest outside the strong room, adding that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be visiting the spot.
The party attached a CCTV footage showing people opening EVM boxes inside the room.
"This is the murder of democracy in broad daylight. CCTV footage has exposed how @BJP4India, in active collusion with the @ECISVEEP, is opening ballot boxes without the presence of any relevant party stakeholders. This is gross electoral fraud being committed openly with the full knowledge and protection of the Election Commission," the party wrote.
"Our leaders Smt. @DrShashiPanja and Shri @KunalGhoshAgain have already begun a dharna outside Netaji Indoor Stadium. Smt. @MamataOfficial will personally visit the spot and take stock of the situation. The people of Bengal are watching this daylight robbery," it added.
TMC expressed stern criticism of the alleged electoral fraud, accusing the BJP of trying various "dirty tricks", including "name deletion, voter intimidation, Central Force terror, and cash flooding." The party affirmed that TMC will not "sit silently."
"They have tried every dirty trick, name deletion, voter intimidation, Central Force terror, cash flooding, and failed miserably. Now, in sheer desperation, they have stooped to tampering with EVMs. But Bengal is not Maharashtra, Delhi, or Bihar. We will not sit silently and watch them loot our democracy. We will not allow the Delhi Zamindars and their puppet Election Commission to steal the mandate of the people," AITC wrote.