Why Mamata Banerjee is pressing the EVM panic button

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, which rarely raised questions on alleged EVM malfunctions, has sounded the alarm over "EVM tampering and swapping". Is it caution, strategy, or a sign of nervousness ahead of counting in Bengal on May 4?

Days before vote counting in West Bengal, many on Thursday (April 30) saw CM Mamata Banerjee in an unfamiliar avatar. In a nine-minute video, she stood with folded hands throughout. She urged TMC workers to stay alert and "guard the EVM strongrooms." Hours later, the streetfighter CM braved heavy rain to reach a Kolkata strongroom, alleging attempts at "EVM tampering."

Is the Trinamool Congress pressing the panic button, days before the counting of polls? This is the same Mamata Banerjee whose party rarely raised questions on alleged EVM malfunctions, even as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi went hammer and tongs on their credibility. The TMC did echo some concerns around "vote chori" at times, but stayed away from the broader EVM debate Rahul Gandhi spearheaded. So what's changed now? Is it a caution? A strategy? Or a sign of nervousness?

The results might go whichever way, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which has repeatedly alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI), clearly has something to gain from this pitch.

Votes for two phases of the West Bengal Assembly elections have already been cast, and people's choices are locked inside the EVMs. So by raising the alarm now, is the TMC setting the narrative in advance?

WHAT MAMATA, TMC SAID ON EVMs AFTER BENGAL POLLING?

On April 30, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee released a nearly nine-minute video message urging TMC candidates, leaders, and workers to maintain round-the-clock vigilance over EVM strongrooms. She stood with folded hands and warned of possible attempts by the BJP to tamper with or swap machines before counting on May 4.

Later that evening, she reached the EVM strongroom at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls' High School in South Kolkata (the counting centre for her Bhabanipur Assembly constituency) around 8.15 pm, despite heavy rain.

She alleged manipulation based on CCTV footage she said she watched on television. She claimed suspicious activity at multiple locations, including at Netaji Indoor Stadium/Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, where TMC leaders said ballot boxes were being handled without TMC representatives present.

Mamata spent nearly four hours inside the premises. She emerged around 12.07 am on May 1, and warned that any attempt to tamper with the counting process would be met with a "life and death" fight. Mamata claimed the central armed forces initially obstructed her entry (as a candidate, she has the right to access up to the sealed room) and accused the system of "one-sidedness."

She, however, asserted "victory was certain" while appealing for peace.

Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja were among the TMC leaders who staged a sit-in protest outside another strongroom in Kolkata, alleging procedural lapses such as workers being asked to leave and the sudden reopening of the facility.

The TMC shared CCTV clips to back its claims of irregularities.

Soon, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal dismissed the TMC's allegations of suspicious activities with the EVM.

However, contrary to the allegations, manipulation or swapping of EVMs during storage and transportation is near impossible. Over the years, the ECI has implemented multiple layers of safeguards to secure the machines and ensure maximum transparency in the entire process.

Irrespective, the TMC has carried on alleging that the EVMs in Bengal's strongrooms were under threat of an alleged "BJP takeover".

HAS TMC RAISED ISSUES OF EVMs LIKE THIS BEFORE? WHEN TRINAMOOL DID NOT TOW OPPOSITION LINE ON EVMs

While the TMC has occasionally flagged specific EVM-related glitches in past elections, it has not raised the issue as strongly as Rahul Gandhi has been doing.

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, the party alleged EVM malfunctions and sudden drops in reported voting percentages in certain booths.

However, such complaints were largely limited to isolated technical issues during polling. The TMC has, however, not used the EVMs for sustained, high-decibel campaigns, questioning their fundamental credibility.

Notably, TMC has often diverged from Congress and other INDIA bloc partners on the broader EVM debate.

While Rahul Gandhi and Congress have repeatedly questioned EVM reliability, demanding a return to paper ballots or VVPAT-based verification on a larger scale after defeats, TMC leaders like Abhishek Banerjee pushed back. In December 2025, Abhishek Banerjee dismissed sweeping EVM questions as "random statements" and challenged critics to "show how EVMs can be hacked".

"Vote chori is taking place via manipulation of electoral rolls and not through EVMs... The theft is happening in the voter list, in the software, not in the EVM," the TMC number two said then.

The TMC aligned more with voices like Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's Omar Abdullah in questioning Congress's aggressive anti-EVM stance. This created visible rifts within the opposition alliance.

Now, the TMC's allegations of "EVM tampering" come after several outlets like Todays Chanakya and Matrix projected an edge for the BJP in post-poll exit polls.

The Trinamool has been pushing hard to retain its turf, battling three-term anti-incumbency and a full-force BJP campaign to unseat the Mamata Banerjee government.

SO WHY ARE MAMATA, TRINAMOOL RAKING UP EVM ISSUE?

Several factors appear to be at play behind the TMC's new stance on the EVMs.

Firstly, unfavourable exit polls after the second and the last phase on April 29 projected a strong showing for the BJP, which Mamata dismissed as a "demoralisation tactic". Raising EVM tampering concerns allows the TMC to pre-emptively question any adverse result and prepare the ground for potential legal challenges or street protests.

Secondly, it could also serve as a mobilisational tool. By framing the poll contest as a battle against an alleged "BJP-EC nexus", Mamata is rallying her core supporters and cadre by portraying the TMC and her leadership as the fighters guarding the people's mandate.

Her personal visit to a strongroom in the rain and the late-night vigil reinforce the image of a hands-on leader who's unwilling to let "votes be stolen".

Thirdly, the TMC's EVM narrative puts pressure on the ECI and the central armed forces, demanding greater access to strongrooms. Even if no tampering is proven, the narrative of vigilance can help mitigate post-result discontent or buy time to shape public perception.

The EVM allegations could also be used to negate a growth in the number of BJP seats. Mamata and the TMC could allege that the BJP couldn't win despite using every means.

Critics, including BJP leaders like Suvendu Adhikari (her rival in Bhabanipur), have called this a classic deflection tactic. The TMC is nervous about losing ground after over a decade in power and is manufacturing excuses in advance, claimed the BJP.

Whether the "EVM tampering" narrative is a genuine caution by the TMC, or a calculated narrative-setting move, or a sign of nervousness ahead of the counting, remains in the realm of political interpretation right now. Why she raised the EVM swapping or tampering pitch might only become clear well after the results are revealed on May 4.

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