Kolkata: Terming the exit polls as a "BJP conspiracy", Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that her party would "definitely cross 226" seats, claiming the projections favouring the saffron party were a deliberate attempt to influence perceptions ahead of the actual results.
Amid the controversy over EVM strong rooms, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said no formal complaint had been received and there had been no breach in security. He said the status of strong rooms had already been shown to TMC leaders and assured that arrangements would continue to be monitored as the process moves towards counting, adding that he does not rely on hearsay.
Expressing apprehensions that EVMs could be tampered with before counting, Banerjee urged party workers to remain vigilant and guard strong rooms. Late in the evening, Banerjee, who is a candidate from Bhowanipore, visited Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls' High School, the designated strongroom for her Constituency. Mamata was still at the strongroom till the paper went for print.
"I got information that what was projected in exit polls was based on an instruction issued from the BJP's party office at around 1.08 pm on Wednesday. BJP gave money to show these figures. They have made their last play through the Press, the Godi media," Banerjee said in a video message on social media. She alleged that central agencies like the ED, CBI and Income Tax were used to intimidate opponents.
Claiming that the BJP had deployed the full might of the Centre, including armed forces, she said the party had still "lost the battle in the vote box". "They used gun power and money power. Despite all these efforts, we will definitely cross 226," she added.
Most exit polls have projected a BJP victory. Banerjee, however, cited inaccuracies in exit polls of 2021 and 2024 to discredit current projections. She also thanked voters and party workers, alleging that central forces resorted to violence, targeting women, children, polling agents and even journalists. She referred to allegations of an elderly man's death after being manhandled at a booth in Udaynarayanpur in Howrah.
Banerjee asked candidates to guard counting centres round the clock and closely monitor the uploading of final vote tallies. "There may be attempts to switch the BJP's and TMC's vote results," she alleged, adding that she would personally keep vigil if needed.
She also questioned the BJP's claims over Bengal, invoking icons such as Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Subhas Chandra Bose.