CRPF inspects Kolkata strong room as TMC alleges tampering hours before counting

Kolkata: Amid escalating political friction, top officials of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) conducted a high-level inspection of the Netaji Indoor Stadium strong room on Sunday. CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh and Special DG Vitul Kumar led the review of security protocols at the facility, which houses Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for several key constituencies. Protests and allegations of collusion
The inspection follows a tense standoff outside the venue, where senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, launched a sit-in protest. The TMC has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of working in "active collusion" with the Election Commission (ECI) to gain unauthorised access to ballot boxes. Kunal Ghosh alleged that CCTV footage revealed individuals tampering with postal ballots inside the secure zone without the presence of opposition agents.

"Some individuals were tampering with postal ballots inside the strong room... no TMC representatives were allowed inside and the activity was visible on CCTV surveillance," Ghosh claimed.
VVPAT slips found abandoned in Barasat
 

Meanwhile, a fresh controversy erupted in Barasat after VVPAT slips from the Noapara assembly constituency were reportedly discovered abandoned on a street. The slips were found scattered near the Subhas Nagar petrol pump in Nilganj, located within the Madhyamgram constituency. The discovery of sensitive election materials in a public area has sparked serious concerns regarding the integrity of the storage process and has forced authorities to investigate the lapse just hours before the final tally begins.

CEO reassures transparency
Dismissing the claims of irregularity, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal maintained that the EVMs are under multi-layered protection and remain "safe and secure". 
He emphasized that the heavy security presence—which has now been extended to locations like Bhabanipur’s Sakhawat Memorial School and the CEO's own office—is a standard procedural safeguard.

"There will be no law and order situation. These things happen... Counting will be 100% neat and clean just like the elections were," Agarwal stated.
Repolling ordered in Falta
While counting for 293 seats begins on Monday, the ECI has taken the extraordinary step of voiding the original vote in the Falta assembly seat. Following reports of "severe electoral offences", including voter intimidation and the use of black adhesive on EVM buttons, all 285 polling stations in Falta will undergo repolling on May 21, with results expected on May 24.

ANI