Kolkata, May 5: Following her defeat in the West Bengal elections, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has faced a setback from the Election Commission of India (ECI). On Tuesday evening, the ECI rejected Banerjee’s allegations of irregularities in the vote counting process. She claimed that her loss to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Bhawanipur assembly constituency was due to discrepancies during the counting at the Sakawat Memorial Government Girls College in South Kolkata.
Just hours after Banerjee raised these allegations in a press conference, the office of the District Election Officer (DEO) for Kolkata (South) issued a statement refuting her claims.
The statement asserted that all allegations made by the Trinamool Congress candidate during the press conference were baseless and fabricated. It emphasized that the counting process was conducted in an independent, fair, and transparent manner, adhering to all procedures and regulations set forth by the Election Commission of India.
Additionally, the DEO’s statement dismissed Banerjee’s assertion that CCTV cameras at the counting centers were turned off during the process. It clarified that the cameras were never switched off and described any reported altercations involving the AITC candidate and the Chief Minister as unfounded and fictitious.
The DEO’s office also mentioned that counting was temporarily halted on Banerjee’s request on Monday evening. However, it added that the counting resumed promptly after the necessary notifications were provided.
In this election, Mamata Banerjee lost to the incumbent Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, by a margin of over 15,000 votes. Adhikari was also elected from his home constituency of Nandigram in East Midnapore.
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