Mamata Banerjee accuses central forces of escorting criminals to EVM strong rooms

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused central forces of trying to “capture” electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the districts that went to polls in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly election on April 23 West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee greets supporters during a roadshow in Kolkata. (PTI)“I heard of two incidents in which power to two strong rooms where EVMs are kept was cut off. Central forces escorted criminals to those places to capture EVMs. The faces of these people were covered. I am surprised that the ECI [Election Commission of India] is silent,” said Banerjee at a rally in her Bhabanipur constituency. Bhabanipur is among the 142 of 294 seats that would go to polls in the second and last phase of polling across seven south Bengal districts, including Kolkata, on April 29. The campaign for the second phase will end at 6pm on Monday. Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the state chief electoral officer, maintained that all EVMs are safe. “The strongrooms are kept under lock and key, and these have been double checked.” Banerjee made the allegation about EVMs at back-to-back rallies in Bhabanipur until Sunday night. She spent the day attending road shows and rallies at Bhabanipur, where she faces Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lead the last BJP roadshow on Monday in Banerjee’s constituency. The TMC trailed the BJP in four of the eight municipal wards during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Bhabanipur. Banerjee attacked the BJP, saying it used to say she does not allow Durga Puja in Bengal. “The reality is that Durga Puja in Kolkata draws tourists from around the world and offers jobs to so many people. When I started giving monetary assistance to community clubs for organising the Puja, they [BJP] went to court,’ she said She said the BJP claimed she turned Kolkata into a slum. “The poor live in slums. They work with honesty. You cannot insult the poor,” Banerjee said. She said she works for the people around the year. “The city has developed so much before your eyes. There is no power shortage. No bad roads. Waterlogging is no longer a major issue during monsoon because our civic body has overhauled the drainage system,” Banerjee said. She said the BJP is not coming to power.