Assembly elections 2026 LIVE: Drama over EVM tampering claim at Kolkata counting centre as TMC stages sit-in; EC dismisses charge

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The Calcutta HC has dismissed a plea challenging the Election Commission’s directive to deploy cardinal authorities and PSU employees for ballot counting successful the West Bengal Assembly elections

Updated - May 01, 2026 09:40 americium IST

Security unit basal defender extracurricular Strong Room pursuing the decision of Phase 2 of the West Bengal Assembly predetermination 2026, successful Kolkata connected April 30, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Tension prevailed astatine cardinal Kolkata’s Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for respective northbound and eastbound Kolkata Assembly constituencies lodging EVM beardown rooms, aft TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protestation extracurricular the premises alleging electoral malpractice and tampering of the ballot machines. The TMC leaders alleged that Live-streamed footage from CCTV cameras revealed the beingness of outsiders wrong the beardown rooms who were “fiddling with ballot papers” from the machines.

Also work | Election Commission assessing repoll plea successful 77 booths successful West Bengal

The Election Commission, however, dismissed the assertion regarding the handling of polled materials astatine the centre, stating that canvass officials were engaged successful the task of segregating postal ballots arsenic per owed process and the strongrooms remained secure. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee landed up astatine the counting centre for the Bhabanipur Assembly segment, suspecting malpractice and tampering of the voting machines.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court has dismissed a plea challenging the Election Commission’s directive to deploy cardinal authorities and PSU employees for ballot counting successful the West Bengal Assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)

Read unrecorded updates here:

May 01, 2026 09:40
Officials trained connected ballot counting procedures successful Chennai
A grooming league connected counting procedures for officials engaged successful ballot counting for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly predetermination was held successful Chennai connected Thursday astatine Valluvar Kottam.
According to a property release, the grooming covered counting procedures for returning officers, micro observers, adjunct returning officers, supervisors and assistants. Electronic voting machines person been stored nether three-tier information astatine Queen Mary’s College, Loyola College and Anna University, and are nether continuous surveillance.
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May 01, 2026 09:12
Palaniswami rejects exit polls; says AIADMK volition triumph successful 210 constituencies
Rejecting the exit polls astir of which forecast a triumph for the DMK-led confederation successful the precocious conducted Assembly predetermination successful Tamil Nadu, AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami connected Thursday said expressed anticipation his enactment would triumph successful 210 constituencies.
“Our party’s uniqueness is that it has ever demolished the exit polls and emergence successful each election. It would proceed to bash truthful successful this predetermination also. The AIADMK volition surely triumph successful 210 constituencies. The AIADMK volition signifier the authorities with a majority,” Mr. Palaniswami said successful a statement.
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May 01, 2026 09:00
ECI introduces caller QR code-based ID cards for counting centres
The Election Commission connected Thursday (April 30, 2026) introduced a QR code-based photograph individuality paper strategy to destruct the anticipation of immoderate unauthorised persons entering counting centres.
After its instauration during the counting to beryllium held connected May 4 for the Assembly elections of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry and the byelections successful 7 Assembly constituencies crossed 5 States, the strategy volition beryllium extended to each aboriginal wide and byelections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, the EC said successful a statement.
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ECI introduces QR-based individuality cards for counting centres connected May 4 to cheque unauthorised entry
ECI implements QR-based individuality cards connected May 4 to heighten information and forestall unauthorized introduction astatine counting centres.
May 01, 2026 08:59
Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM beardown room, warns against counting irregularities
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee aboriginal connected Friday (May 1, 2026) warned against immoderate effort to tamper with the counting process, hours aft she visited an EVM beardown country successful Bhabanipur, alleging imaginable malpractice.
Ms. Banerjee, who emerged astir 12:07 a.m. aft spending astir 4 hours astatine the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed successful Sakhawat Memorial School successful southbound Kolkata, said lone 1 idiosyncratic would beryllium allowed wrong the designated counting area.
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