West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 | Security forces maintain strict vigil in and around counting centres

Kolkata: Security forces were keeping a strict vigil in and around counting centres in Kolkata and other districts where EVM machines used in the West Bengal assembly elections have been stored, an official said here on Friday.

Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, which saw high drama till the early hours of Friday with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spending nearly four hours at the counting centre, wore a peaceful look in the morning with security personnel guarding the area.

The TMC supremo warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after visiting an EVM strong room, alleging possible malpractice. She stressed the need for transparency in the counting process.

"It is essential to maintain transparency. People's votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints," she told reporters outside the counting centre.

Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting of the two-phase elections held in the state, she warned that any plan to tamper with the counting process "will not be tolerated".