NEW DELHI: With just two days left to count votes, West Bengal has been put on high alert, with parties competing on the pitch with fresh court action, vault vigils and mutual accusations.The All India Trinamool Congress’ verdict on Friday asked the Supreme Court to challenge a Calcutta High Court order that dismissed the Calcutta High Court’s plea to deploy only central government and PSU employees as monitors during the counting of votes. Meanwhile, a senior TMC delegation, including Firhad Hakim, Asim Bose and Shashi Panja, reached the State Election Commission office in Kolkata and expressed its concerns over transparency and procedures.Adding to the confusion, the Election Commission ordered re-polls at 15 polling stations across the state, including 11 in Magalhat Pashim and four in Diamond Harbor, citing the opinion of the polling body. This is the first repoll in the ongoing state assembly elections, adding weight to the decision.The announcement of the re-poll comes just days before votes are to be counted, injecting new uncertainty into an already hotly contested election. Complaints in other constituencies, including Falta, are still under review, suggesting administrative processes remain active even after voting officially ends.Meanwhile, reports of post-poll violence in districts including Murshidabad, Malda and North 24 Parganas have also heightened unease. Incidents involving workers from rival parties have resulted in injuries, arrests and ongoing police investigations, reinforcing the sense that the electoral race is far from over.Even the rhythm of daily life in the city has been disrupted. Commuters in Kolkata are facing severe shortages, overcrowding and delays as more than 90 per cent of private buses are still on polling duty.Meanwhile, as political tensions grew, the electoral commission moved to control the situation.Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal categorically dismissed allegations of wrongdoing at the vault, saying there was “no scope for any wrongdoing” given the safeguards in place. According to officials, the EVM storage facility is located at:
- 24/7 CCTV surveillance
- Three-layer safety cover
- Strict access protocols limited to authorized personnel
To prevent the situation from escalating, the Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS around all seven counting centers in the city, prohibiting gatherings within a 200-metre radius and restricting demonstrations and processions before counting begins.Additional deployment of CRPF and senior officials has further strengthened the security net, especially at sensitive locations like Khudiram Anushran Kendra and Sahawat Memorial School.The committee also clarified that the TMC believes the suspicious activity that occurred inside the vault was part of the routine, pre-announced process of quarantining postal ballots carried out by authorized officials.Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid an impromptu visit to the counting center in Bhowanipore, where the EVMs of her constituency are kept, on Thursday evening. She spent nearly four hours on site, checking arrangements and raising concerns about possible tampering.Her visit follows reports within the party of irregularities at the vault and alleged unauthorized access. Banerjee later said she had seen the CCTV footage and felt the need to verify the situation herself.She emerged from the scene just after midnight to issue a warning that any attempt to manipulate the vote-counting process would not be tolerated.The situation quickly escalated into a confrontation, with TMC and BJP workers gathering outside the venue, shouting slogans and confronting each other, before security forces intervened.BJP strikes back These developments triggered a strong political reaction from the opposition.Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari dismissed Mamata Banerjee’s behavior as “theatrics”, accusing her dramatic behavior of aiming to influence perceptions rather than protect the process. He claimed the moves would not change the outcome and predicted a change of government.Banerjee, however, hardened her stance, viewing the issue as one of protecting the people’s mandate. She directed party candidates in all constituencies to maintain round-the-clock vigil in the vaults to ensure continuous presence and monitoring ahead of the counting day.A brief pause before the countdownThese successive developments ensure that West Bengal enters the final stretch before May 4 with high tension.The election itself was already historic in terms of participation, with turnout exceeding 92% in both phases, the highest ever recorded in the state. Such high levels of participation would normally mean a decisive verdict, but in West Bengal’s case it only heightened expectations.Exit polls showed the race was too close, raising the possibility that even a small margin could decide the outcome.(Institutional investment)
