As eight constituencies in West Bengal went to the polls on Saturday for phase 6 of the Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee, raised serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TMC claimed that five Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at a polling station in Bankuras Raghunathpur were marked with BJP tags.Smt. @MamataOfficial has repeatedly flagged how @BJP4India was trying to rig votes by tampering with EVMs.And today, in Bankuras Raghunathpur, 5 EVMs were found with BJP tags on them.@ECISVEEP should immediately look into it and take corrective action! pic.twitter.com/aJwIotHAbX— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 25, 2024TMC Raises Alarm Over EVM TamperingMamata Banerjees party took to social media to highlight the issue. @MamataOfficial has repeatedly flagged how @BJP4India was trying to rig votes by tampering with EVMs. And today, in Bankuras Raghunathpur, 5 EVMs were found with BJP tags on them, read the tweet from the TMC. The party also tagged the Election Commission of India (ECI) and demanded immediate corrective action. @ECISVEEP should immediately look into it and take corrective action, the tweet further stated. This accusation comes amidst ongoing claims by the Opposition about the misuse of central agencies by the BJP-led central government.(2/1) While commissioning, common address tags were signed by the Candidates and their agents present. And since only BJP Candidates representative was present during that time in the commissioning hall, his signature was taken during commissioning of that EVM and VVPAT. pic.twitter.com/54p78J2jUe— CEO West Bengal (@CEOWestBengal) May 25, 2024ECI Responds to AllegationsIn response, the Election Commission of India quickly addressed the claims and provided an explanation. The ECI clarified that the tags were a result of the commissioning process. While commissioning, common address tags were signed by the candidates and their agents present. Since only the BJP candidates representative was present during that time in the commissioning hall, his signature was taken during the commissioning of that EVM and VVPAT, the ECI stated on social media.The commission also assured that the process was conducted under full surveillance. It was done entirely under CCTV coverage and duly videographed. However, the signatures of all agents present in PS No 56, 58, 60, 61, 62 were obtained during polling. All ECI norms were followed during commissioning, the statement added. Voting in Eight ConstituenciesSaturdays voting covered eight Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal: Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur. In the 2019 elections, the BJP had secured five of these seats, while the TMC won the remaining three. The current allegations have added to the intensity of the electoral battle in the state.
