TMC Raises Concerns Over EVM 'Malfunction', Voter Turnout Details Amid Phase 1 Polling; Dilip Ghosh Rubbishes Claims

The Trinamool Congress raised questions over the claims of people in Kanti Dakshin not being able to vote for the party. MP Derek O'Brien wrote a letter to the Election Commission over concerns.

Dilip Ghosh & Mamata Banerjee (Photo: PTI | Getty Images)

Kolkata: The  Trinamool Congress party raised allegations of 'discrepancy' in poll turnout and malfunctioning of EVMs as polling began for 30 of 294 assembly seats on Saturday.

MP Derek O'Brien wrote a letter to the Election Commission and a party delegation also met the poll panel in the afternoon, news agency ANI reported.

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The Mamata Banerjee-led party shared voting turnout figures from the East Medinipur district and asked for an explanation over voting percentage.

In another tweet, the party raised questions over the claims of people in Kanti Dakshin not being able to vote for Trinamool. "Shocking claim by voters which must be immediately looked into by @ECISVEEP and @CEOWestBengal. Many voters in Kanthi Dakshin assembly seat allege that they voted for TMC but VVPAT showed them the BJP symbol. THIS IS SERIOUS! THIS IS UNPARDONABLE!"

TMC MP Derek O'Brien sent a letter to the Election Commission over the matter in which he wrote: "Voter turnout for ACs Kanthi Dakshin (216) and Kanthi Uttar (213) at 9:13 am was 18.47 percent and 18.95 percent respectively, 4 minutes later at 9:17 am voter turnout reduced to 10.60 per cent and 9:40 percent. Such discrepancy raises a question on the genuineness of data issued by EC".

Trinamool Congress members had also met meet the Chief Electoral Officer raising issues over the deployment of booth agents. After the meeting, Sudip Bandyopadhyay told media persons: "BJP had submitted a memorandum requesting to change the system of appointing booth agents wherein he must be a voter of the concerned booth and allow anybody at any booth" 

"The new system is not acceptable to us. We demand that from the next phase the polling agent must be local of the concerned polling booth. CEO has assured us to look into the matter," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP's West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh has rubbished these concerns. "Trinamool Congress (TMC) is losing, which is why they are coming up with false narratives. They can go to the Election Commission or the central forces for resolving such problems, but they choose to make accusations," he said after he cast his vote at a polling booth in Jhargram.

"The police, which runs on TMC's whims, has become aware that 'poriborton' (change) is coming in the state, that is why they are targeting the central forces to build pressure," he added.

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(With Agency Inputs)