Bengal Police helping TCM rig counting, alleges BJP

A day before the votes for the Lok Sabha elections are counted, the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party today alleged that the State police was trying its best to undermine the vote counting process in order to give an unfair advantage to the Trinamool Congress.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

Senior BJP leader Shishir Bajoria, who coordinates with the Election Commission on behalf of the party, submitted a document allegedly containing lists of police officers who would infiltrate the counting centres in plain clothes in order to "intimidate counting agents of rival parties". He claimed that the list had been given to his party by "honest police officers."

Bajoria said that during the meeting with the Election Commission, he highlighted the "post-election violence and the non-adherence to rules" in engaging the workforce for counting by the Trinamool Congress Government. He claimed that there was evidence that the State administration was engaging "casual staff" in the vote counting duties, which is against norms.