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KOLKATA: Central Kolkata’sKhudiram Anushilan Kendra, the designated countingcentre for 7 northbound andeast Kolkata assembly constituencies, witnessed a confrontation betwixt Trinamool Congress and BJP lateThursday aft CM MamataBanerjee’s enactment allegedtampering of EVMs by “unknown people” purportedlycaught connected CCTV enteringthe strongrooms there.CEO Manoj Agarwal dismissed allegations of EVMsand postal ballots being tampered with. “There is nothingsuspicious astir it. Thestrongroom is ringed bythree-tier security. No 1 canenter but for authorised officers,” helium told reporters.TMC candidates ShashiPanja and Kunal Ghosh staged a roadside protestation therewhile CM Mamata camped atSakhawat Memorial HighSchool, the strongroom forthe Bhowanipore spot thatshe is contesting againstBJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.CAPF and Kolkata Policepersonnel ringed bothstrongrooms amid sloganeering by TMC and BJP workers eyeballing each other.Mamata urged her party'scandidates crossed each 294 constituencies to support a round-the-clock vigil astatine EVMstrongrooms until May 4, saying determination would beryllium attempts totamper with EVMs.The stand-off escalatedafter TMC released CCTV footage of what it claimed wasan intrusion into KhudiramAnushilan Kendra.Ghosh alleged manipulation of postalballots. Kolkata North territory predetermination serviceman SmitaPandey reached the countingcentre with elder KolkataPolice officers and spoke toGhosh and Panja, reassuringthem that thing untowardhad occurred there.
Parties told successful beforehand aboutpostal ballot segregation: Official
Kolkata North territory predetermination serviceman Smita Pandeytold Ghosh and Panja thatrepresentatives of the contesting parties had been informedbeforehand that segregation ofpostal ballots would instrumentality placeat 4pm. Every campaigner ortheir typical was sentan email, she said.The radical seen successful theCCTV footage — 2 men andas galore women — were ECauthorised representativessegregating the postal ballots,Pandey said.She besides told them that allstrongrooms containing polledEVMs were sealed and adequately secured.The serviceman promised thecandidates that additionalCCTVs would beryllium installed.Ghosh aboriginal said, “We questioned Election Commissionofficials implicit ballot boxes beingopened successful the lack of stakeholders. They assured america that itwon't beryllium repeated.”The accomplishment of BJP candidates Tapas Ray and SantoshPathak soon aft led to a freshconfrontation. “Trinamool isspreading rumours. If theygather here, we volition besides standvigil,” Ray said.BJP and Trinamool workers clashed extracurricular the centre,prompting CAPF and constabulary tostep in, physically removethem, and acceptable up a barricade.DEO Pandey and elder officers past made the rival candidates beryllium unneurotic and explained that each necessarysteps would beryllium taken.She insisted that they inquire their supporters to disperse.In Bhowanipore, Mamata'spresence astatine the counting centreprompted BJP campaigner Suvendu Adhikari's representative, Suryaneel Das, to outcry atpolice officials, questioningwhy a campaigner was contiguous wrong for truthful long.He alleged itwas unconstitutional.Earlier, posting a video onher societal media pages, Mamata said she was prepared tokeep vigil done the nighttime ifrequired. “If I tin bash it, truthful canyou,” she told enactment candidates. “Don't beryllium negligent. Until I formally code thepress, nary 1 should permission thecounting table.”TMC besides asked its candidates to cod Form 17C, usedduring counting to verify votessecured by candidates againstthe full accepted votes. Whileopposition parties person demanded that specified information beryllium madepublic wrong 48 hours, the ECis inactive to see it.
