Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Manoj Agarwal, has termed allegations of manipulation at counting centres by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as baseless.
In a special interview with Akashvani, he said adequate CCTV arrangements are in place at all counting centres, and sufficient central forces have been deployed to ensure strict security. He added that any complaints can be reported through designated channels.
He added that the Commission is taking all possible measures to deal with post-poll violence. He said, some isolated incidents have occurred in a few places, and two people have already been arrested in connection. He assured that necessary steps are being taken to keep the situation under control.
Last night, Trinamool Congress leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the strongroom at Sakhawat Memorial School in Kolkata and alleged that the four-day gap between voting and counting was intentional to allow tampering with voting machines.
She said her party would resist any attempt to tamper with EVMs. She also urged the Commission to install CCTV cameras outside all strongrooms across the state to maintain transparency, so that the media or supporters of any party can view them.
