Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission of India had fully carried out in West Bengal what he described as a ‘trial run’ earlier conducted in Uttar Pradesh.
He made the remarks while addressing reporters at a press conference in Lucknow organised on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Responding to a question about Mamata Banerjee sitting outside a strongroom for several hours at night, Yadav said the situation reflected a lack of trust. “That is the real concern—whom should we trust? You may recall incidents where voting was allegedly obstructed at gunpoint. Votes were stopped using a revolver,” he said.
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“I believe that the BJP and the Election Commission have implemented in West Bengal the same operation that was rehearsed as a trial in Uttar Pradesh,” he added. The SP leader also alleged that a parallel structure involving central forces had been created in the state. However, he expressed confidence in Banerjee’s prospects, saying she was likely to secure a ‘historic victory’ despite these challenges.
Banerjee had earlier reached Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata—the counting centre for the Bhabanipur assembly segment—where EVMs from the April 29 polling are stored in a strongroom, citing concerns over possible tampering.
Commenting on the Election Commission’s introduction of a QR code-based ID system to enhance security at counting centres, Yadav said such technology introduced by the BJP could not be trusted.
The QR code system is set to be implemented on counting day, May 4, for assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as well as for bypolls in seven constituencies across five states. Officials said the system will later be extended to all Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
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