EVMs in all strongrooms secured and sealed, EC rejects TMC's claim

The Election Commission has  dismissed the claim regarding the handling of polled materials at  one centre in Kolkata, stating that poll officials were engaged in the task of segregating postal ballots as per due process and the strongrooms remained secure. Earlier, tension prevailed at central Kolkata’s Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several north and east Kolkata assembly constituencies housing EVM strong rooms, after TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the premises alleging electoral malpractice and tampering of the vote machines.
The matter came to a head after BJP’s Maniktala candidate Tapas Roy, accompanied by Santosh Pathak, his counterpart from Chowrangee, reached the spot and confronted senior police officers on why they allowed the TMC workers to gather and shout slogans at the sensitive venue. With supporters of both sides shouting “Jai Bangla” slogans and “Jai Shree Ram” counter slogans amid heavy showers in the city, security forces had a tough time preventing the post-poll heat from spiralling out of control.The agitating leaders later left the venue claiming poll authorities have assured that security measures at the venue will be reinforced.
The developments took place a day after the final phase of polls in West Bengal were conducted on Wednesday and barely hours after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, via a video message, urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil over strongrooms housing EVMs, stating she suspected BJP plans to tamper with the machines before counting began on May 4.
Rejecting the TMC's claims, an EC official said, "There are seven Assembly Constituency-wise strongrooms inside the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra, all of which have been closed and sealed in the presence of candidates, their election agents and the general observer after completion of polling." The final strongroom was sealed at around 5.15 am on Thursday, he added. "All strongrooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed," the official said.
The EC clarified that a separate strongroom within the same premises has been designated for postal ballots, where AC-wise polled ballots, including those received through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETBPS), have been stored. "We had notified all observers and returning officers (ROs), and requested ROs to inform candidates and their agents accordingly. The political parties were also informed by the ROs via email," he said.

VIDEO | Kolkata: West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal on the row over strong room, says, "Postal ballots were sorted at 4 pm; parties skipped the invite, later raised CCTV concerns, all is in order now."

(Full video available on PTI Videos- https://t.co/n147TvrpG7)… pic.twitter.com/cVSeFhC5ol

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 30, 2026

Addressing the activity seen in the purported video, the official explained that "segregation of ballots was being carried out in the corridor outside the strong rooms from 4 pm, as part of the prescribed process." Reiterating the security measures, the official said the strong room arrangements were shown to party leaders, including TMC's Panja, Ghosh and BJP's Pathak. The commission maintained that all protocols have been strictly adhered to and urged the public not to be misled by unverified content on social media.