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Mamata Banerjee’s remarks came after the BJP’s Debangshu Pande registered a landslide victory in Falta with a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (File Image: @AITCofficial/X/PTI)
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that EVM rigging and vote-looting took place in the Falta assembly constituency after BJP’s Debangshu Pande registered a landslide victory with a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
Falta, which was once a TMC stronghold and part of the invincible “Diamond Harbour model”, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP during counting on Sunday, marking a major setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led party whose 15-year reign came to an end on May 4.
In a video uploaded from her handle, Mamata Banerjee alleged that several EVMs were rigged to favour the BJP candidate and TMC workers were thrown out of the counting centre.
“People of Bengal and All India Trinamool Congress workers have been victims of terror after the May 4 results. People from border areas have died. Places have been shut down. Everyone is being forced to write resignation letters,” she said.
‘EVMs Rigged’
Banerjee criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, which removed lakhs of people from the electoral list. “EVMs were rigged during counting and votes were looted. We have reports of data hacking from the Central Election Commission office,” she said.
“BJP workers and CRPF personnel entered the counting centre… They are winning by looting votes and leaving people out of the electoral list. After 11 am, counting agents were not allowed at the centre, and their ID cards were confiscated,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee also alleged that she was pushed away from the counting centre during the results on May 4, while BJP workers were allowed free entry. She also alleged that the Election Commission was colluding with the BJP.
ALSO READ: BJP Wins Bengal’s Falta Too: 4 Reasons Why Sinking In ‘Safe’ Diamond Harbour Will Hurt TMC The Most
Abhishek Banerjee Alleges ‘Glaring Inconsistencies’
Meanwhile, Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the Falta repoll exposed “glaring inconsistencies”, claiming that all 21 rounds of counting were completed by 3:30 pm.
“On 4th May, till the same time, only 2- 4 rounds had taken place. The country deserves an explanation from the ECI. Although more than 1000 workers from Falta have been forced to flee their homes in the last 10 days the Election Commission continued to turn a blind eye,” he said on X.
“The Election Commission has taken no action. Instead, the CEO, who was allegedly used by the ECI to delete names under the guise of SIR and manipulate the electoral process, was appointed Chief Secretary of the new WB government at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was still in force in Falta and the polling process had not even been completed,” he added.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari congratulated Pande’s victory in Falta and criticised the TMC. “A party devoid of principles and ideology, which had transformed itself into a mafia enterprise, has now been exposed in its skeletal form after losing power,” he said.
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