Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday visited the counting centre for the Bhabanipur Assembly segment at Sakhawat Memorial School in Kolkata, raising concerns over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Despite heavy rain in the city, Banerjee arrived at the premises in the evening and remained inside the strong room area along with her election agent.
Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate for the Kolkata Port segment, Firhad Hakim, also reached the venue.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn't meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn't allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
Meanwhile, tensions were reported in north Kolkata where TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in protest outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleging irregularities in the storage of EVMs. The protest led to confrontations between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee, in a video message, urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to keep round-the-clock vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging a possible attempt by the BJP to tamper with machines ahead of counting scheduled for May 4.