High-voltage drama unfolded in Kolkata on the night of April 30 and early May 1, 2026, as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally inspected the EVM strong room at Sakhawat Memorial School in Bhabanipur. Citing “suspicious activity” seen on CCTV, the TMC supremo warned of a “life-and-death battle” if any attempt is made to tamper with the machines before the May 4 counting date. While the Election Commission dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” clarifying that officials were merely segregating postal ballots in the presence of observers, the visit has intensified the prestige battle in Bhabanipur, where Banerjee faces a fierce challenge from BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.
A behemoth pre-poll exercise, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out the highly-touted State-wise Situational Implementation Report (SIR), setting serious deliberations with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in top gear at the national capital.
For the first time since 1982, when Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first introduced in India, Karnataka has broken ranks with the rest of the country.
