West Bengal Election: High Alert Ahead of Counting, Repoll Ordered in 15 Booths

West Bengal has entered a high-alert mode just two days before the counting of votes, with political parties engaged in court battles and heightened vigil over strongrooms. The ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday approached the Supreme Court, challenging a Calcutta High Court order that dismissed its plea against the deployment of only central government and PSU employees as counting supervisors. A senior TMC delegation also met with the state election commission in Kolkata to voice concerns about transparency and the counting process.

Adding to the pre-counting jitters, the Election Commission announced repolling in 15 polling stations across the state: 11 in Magarhat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbour. This decision, citing inputs from the poll machinery, is the first repoll ordered in the ongoing assembly elections, injecting further uncertainty into an already closely contested election. Complaints from other constituencies, including Falta, are still under review.

The state has also been dealing with reports of post-poll violence from districts like Murshidabad, Malda, and North 24 Parganas, involving injuries and arrests. The disruption to daily life in Kolkata has been significant, with commuters facing severe shortages and delays due to over 90% of private buses being deployed on poll duty.

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has sought to allay fears about strongroom security, stating that EVM storage facilities are equipped with round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, a three-tier security cover, and strict access protocols, leaving "no scope for any malpractice." Kolkata Police have imposed prohibitory orders around all seven counting centres in the city, banning gatherings within a 200-meter radius and restricting demonstrations until counting begins. Central armed police forces and senior officers have been deployed to enhance security at sensitive locations.

The Election Commission clarified that the movement observed inside strongrooms, which the TMC had flagged as suspicious, was a routine, pre-notified process of segregating postal ballots by authorised officials.

Earlier, on Thursday night, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made an unscheduled visit to the Bhowanipore counting centre, where EVMs from her constituency are stored. She spent nearly four hours inspecting arrangements and expressing concerns about potential tampering. Banerjee stated that after reviewing CCTV footage, she felt compelled to verify the situation personally. Emerging from the site past midnight, she issued a warning against any attempts to manipulate the counting process. Her visit led to a face-off between TMC and BJP workers outside the venue, which was dispersed by security forces.

In response, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari dismissed Mamata Banerjee’s actions as "dramabazi," accusing her of theatrics. He predicted a change of government. Mamata Banerjee, however, maintained her stance on protecting the people's mandate and instructed party candidates to maintain round-the-clock vigil at strongrooms.

These developments have created an atmosphere of heightened tension before the final stretch of the election. The election has already seen historic participation, with turnout exceeding 92% in two phases. Exit polls have indicated a close contest, suggesting that the outcome could be decided by very small margins.