‘Focus on vigilance, coordination’ : Mamata Banerjee & Abhishek Banerjee to hold virtual meeting with counting agents on May 2

With the high-stakes West Bengal Assembly election results just days away, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, are set to convene a crucial virtual meeting with all party counting agents, underscoring the party’s focus on vigilance and coordination.

The meeting, scheduled for May 2, will bring together counting agents from across 291 Assembly constituencies, reflecting the scale and urgency of the exercise ahead of the May 4 counting day.
Party leaders are expected to use the session to brief agents on protocols, responsibilities, and safeguards to ensure that the counting process remains transparent and free of discrepancies. A senior party functionary indicated that the objective is clear: prevent “any lapses” during the crucial counting phase. 

The leadership’s message to cadre is expected to emphasise strict monitoring at counting centres, especially in light of concerns around EVM security and procedural integrity. According to reports, agents will be instructed to remain present throughout the counting process until the final declaration of results and issuance of certificates. 

The move comes amid an already charged political atmosphere in the state, where allegations of irregularities and demands for heightened vigilance have dominated the narrative. Against this backdrop, the meeting is being seen as part of TMC’s broader strategy to ensure “full preparedness and vigilance” among its ground-level representatives. 

"Visible Bias': 

Notably, this comes a day after CM Mamata Banerjee flagged “Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation” concerns. In a video message on Thursday, CM Banerjee urged all party workers to be vigilant and stay put outside counting centres to ensure “no miscreants” enter such centres. Later on Thursday, the TMC supremo also visited the strongroom premises in Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata to “inspect” potential threat, of which she received inputs from her sources. Speaking to media, she stated, “There is a strongroom here for EVMs. We found that in many places, manipulation is taking place…I thought that I should go and see.”

Amplifying her dissatisfaction with the operations of the chief poll body, the Election Commission of India, CM Banerjee accused that there is “visible bias”. She said, “Our agent has been arrested, there has been visible bias and one-sidedness.”