The Trinamool Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against the Returning Officer at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting center for unauthorized sorting of postal ballots. Allegations of suspicious movements in the strongroom were made by the party on Thursday evening at the central Kolkata center. Candidates from the party protested outside the counting center against the sorting of postal ballots without the presence of election agents.
The party highlighted that the sorting of postal ballot covers at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra was done without the presence of candidates, their election agents, or political party representatives. This action was deemed a direct violation of specific ECI Handbook paras and election rules. The Trinamool Congress demanded an urgent inquiry into the incident and accountability for the noted violations.
Similar irregularities in handling postal ballots have been reported at various counting centers and strongrooms across the state, leading to concerns about systemic non-compliance. The party urged the Election Commission to immediately stop any unauthorized handling of postal ballots, grant access to CCTV feeds to authorized representatives, and ensure verification of ballot covers in affected constituencies in the presence of candidates or their representatives.
A scuffle between Trinamool Congress and BJP workers occurred outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting center last Thursday. Trinamool candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja protested against suspicious activities inside the strongroom. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee visited the Sakhawat Memorial Govt. Girls’ High School counting center to inspect the EVMs of her Bhabanipur constituency.
