KOLKATA, April 3, 2026 — Hours before the counting of votes on Monday, Mamata Banerjee alleged that deliberate load-shedding was being carried out in parts of West Bengal and told party workers to keep watch outside strong rooms where ballots are stored.
Banerjee said she had received reports from Serampore in Hooghly, Krishnanagar in Nadia, Ausgram in Burdwan and Kolkata’s Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra. She claimed power cuts were being imposed in phases in those places, that CCTV cameras were allegedly switched off and that vehicles were seen moving in and out of strong room premises. She urged workers to stay through the night, guard the strong rooms and file complaints immediately if they noticed anything suspicious. If needed, she said, they should demand access to CCTV footage.
The chief minister also alleged the actions were being carried out at the behest of the BJP. Her warning landed as the state prepared for counting on May 4, 2026, after a campaign in which control of West Bengal has been framed as a decisive test. In 2021, the TMC secured 215 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections while the BJP won 77, and before counting this time the Election Commission deployed 2.4 lakh central forces personnel across the state.
The accusation from Banerjee came on top of a second claim late at night from Mahua Moitra, who said CCTV cameras in strongrooms of four assembly constituencies — Krishnanagar North, Chapra, Kaliganj and Nakashipara — were switched off for over two minutes. Together, the claims set up a tense final stretch before counting in a state where poll-related and post-poll violence has long shaped the political fight.
That history has made West Bengal the BJP’s final frontier, and the violence issue dominated the campaign narrative as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah raised it repeatedly across more than 50 rallies. For Banerjee, the immediate task is no longer winning the campaign argument. It is making sure the count itself is seen as secure.
If there is a single question left, it is whether the safeguards around the strong rooms will satisfy a party that has already told its workers to stay on alert all night.
