Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders alleged that ballot boxes were opened and tampered with during the West Bengal Assembly election counting process.
The accusations strike at the heart of the electoral process in one of India's most politically volatile states. If proven, such breaches could jeopardize the legitimacy of the results and trigger widespread civil unrest.
The allegations surfaced during the late-night hours of May 3, 2026, and the early hours of May 4, 2026 [1], which was the scheduled counting day for the elections [2]. TMC leaders claimed that electronic voting machine (EVM) strong-rooms were opened without authorized representatives present. The party specifically accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to manipulate the vote count [3].
Much of the tension centered on the EVM strong-room at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata [4]. TMC members protested the alleged security lapses, suggesting that the integrity of the ballot boxes had been compromised before the official count began [3].
The Election Commission of India (ECI) denied the allegations. Manoj Agarwal, an official with the ECI, said there was no scope for wrongdoing at the counting centres [5]. The commission maintained that the security measures in place made any such tampering impossible [3].
To prevent such incidents, the ECI had established 77 counting centres across West Bengal [6]. Security for the 294 EVM strong-rooms included a three-layer security grid [7]. This deployment involved 1,500 personnel specifically assigned to guard the strong-rooms [8], supported by more than 200 companies of the Central Armed Police Force [9]. Additionally, 7,500 West Bengal Police personnel were deployed to maintain the security perimeter [10].
Despite these measures, the TMC maintained that the late-night activity at the counting centres pointed to a coordinated effort to alter the outcome. The BJP responded to these claims, though the ECI said it found no evidence of tampering and did not name any specific party in its official denial [5].
“TMC leaders alleged that ballot boxes were opened and tampered with during the West Bengal Assembly election counting process.”
The dispute highlights the deep mistrust between the TMC and the BJP, as well as the recurring tension between regional parties and the Election Commission of India. By challenging the security of the strong-rooms despite a massive security presence of over 9,000 personnel, the TMC is signaling a potential legal or political challenge to the election results based on procedural integrity.
