The Kolkata Police have banned any kind of gatherings in seven areas where votes polled in the assembly election are being counted, following the high drama last night that happened at two counting centres due to the Trinamool Congress’s allegations of suspicious activities.
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has already dismissed the Trinamool’s allegations.
The police’s prohibitory orders have been enforced in these areas: Sahid Kshudiram Bose Road, Judge’s Court Road, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour Road, Lord Sinha Hall, Naresh Mitra Sarani (Beltala Road) and Pramathesh Barua Sarani.
Last night, BJP and Trinamool workers had a face-off outside a counting centre in Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, following the allegations by Trinamool leaders. Trinamool candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja protested outside the gate of the counting centre. Workers of both parties raised slogans, leading to a brief confrontation.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, too, had come near the strong room at the Shakhawat Memorial counting centre.
Agarwal, the state’s top poll officer, after rubbishing the Trinamool’s allegations, said, “The strong rooms at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra house EVMs from seven assembly constituencies in north Kolkata. After the polling ended on Wednesday, all the strong-rooms were properly closed and sealed in the presence of the concerned candidates/election agents and observers. The last strong room was closed at 5.15 am on Thursday. There is another strong room for postal ballots at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. Postal ballots from various centres have been kept there. They were being sorted by the polling officials.”
He said he had also told the returning officers to inform candidates and agents concerned about this exercise.
“The returning officers informed the political parties through email. The separation of postal ballots was going on in the corridors of the polling booths from 4 pm. They are all safe, secured and locked. The representatives of both Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been shown everything,” Agarwal said.
He clarified that since electricity connection is allowed in the strong-rooms, the segregation of postal ballots for the seven assembly constituencies in Kolkata was going on in torchlight, which the ruling Trinamool leaders wrongly called as “suspicious activities”.
Following the top poll official’s comments, the Trinamool leaders ended their protest and left the venue.