Security has been tightened outside the strong room at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata ahead of the May 4 vote count, following allegations by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to open ballot boxes without the presence of authorised party representatives.
The TMC has called off its protest outside the strong room, but tensions remain high in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where BJP workers blocked a TMC vehicle, alleging that it was carrying suspicious items.
The Election Commission of India has denied the TMC's claim that postal ballot strong rooms were opened without following protocol, stating that eight strong rooms have been set up at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, with seven storing EVMs from assembly constituencies in North Kolkata and the eighth containing postal ballots of polling personnel.
The TMC has alleged that live-streamed footage from CCTV cameras revealed the presence of outsiders inside the strong rooms who were "fiddling with ballot papers" from the machines.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the strong room in Bhabanipur late Thursday night, asserting that her party would resist any attempt to tamper with electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The results for all four state assemblies, along with Puducherry, will be announced by the poll body on May 4.
