A scuffle occurred between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers outside the counting center at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. The clash followed allegations by Trinamool leaders of suspicious activities in a strong room. Trinamool Congress candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja protested outside the counting center, citing irregularities related to the strong room at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra nearby.
Workers from both parties engaged in verbal altercations, leading to a brief confrontation. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee visited the strong room at the Shakhawat Memorial counting center, where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from her Bhabanipur Assembly constituency are stored. She monitored the site for over two to three hours, maintaining vigil as a candidate.
Mamata Banerjee advised Trinamool candidates statewide to stay vigilant outside strong rooms, ensuring continuous presence and making arrangements for sustenance and personnel rotation. At Netaji Indoor Stadium, Trinamool candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja, along with BJP candidates Santosh Pathak and Tapas Roy, were present. The Trinamool candidates ended their protest after assurances from the Election Commission, with BJP workers also halting their demonstration.
Trinamool Congress raised concerns about alleged irregularities with postal ballots and suspicious movements inside the strong room. The Election Commission refuted these claims, stating that candidates were informed in advance about postal ballot procedures. The strong room at Netaji Indoor Stadium contains EVMs from seven Assembly constituencies in north Kolkata, sealed in the presence of candidates, election agents, and observers after polling.
A separate strong room for postal ballots at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra stores and sorts postal ballots constituency-wise. Trinamool’s Kunal Ghosh questioned the alleged activities at the Kendra, demanding CCTV installation, live footage display, and candidate representatives’ monitoring access. Following assurances from the Election Commission, the Trinamool candidates withdrew their protest.
