West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inspected the Bhabanipur electronic voting machine (EVM) strong room late Friday night to prevent potential vote tampering [1].

The visit follows allegations from the Chief Minister's party that ballot boxes were opened without the presence of authorized personnel. This incident occurs just days before the scheduled vote count for the Bhabanipur assembly constituency in South Kolkata [1], [2].

Banerjee arrived at the counting centre around midnight and remained inside the strong room for nearly four hours [2]. The Chief Minister said her presence was necessary to ensure the integrity of the machines before the official count begins on May 4 [1], [2].

"I have spent nearly four hours in the strong room to ensure the integrity of the EVMs," Banerjee said [2].

During the inspection, the Chief Minister issued a warning to officials regarding the security of the electoral process. She said that any plan to tamper with the counting process will not be tolerated [2].

The Bhabanipur seat remains a focal point of political tension in the region. The late-night inspection underscores the deep mistrust between the ruling party and election officials regarding the handling of voting hardware, a recurring theme in recent regional contests [1].

Officials have not yet released a formal response to the party's allegations that ballot boxes were accessed without authorization. The strong room remains under high security as the May 4 date approaches [1], [2].

“Any plan to tamper with the counting process will not be tolerated.”

The direct intervention by a sitting Chief Minister in the security of a strong room highlights a significant lack of confidence in the neutrality of the electoral machinery. By physically monitoring the EVMs, Banerjee is attempting to preemptively delegitimize any result that does not favor her party, while simultaneously pressuring election officials to maintain absolute transparency under public scrutiny.