Voting in Bengal’s second phase is underway, but accusations of election fraud have surfaced. BJP claims that in several polling booths in Diamond Harbour, known as Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s stronghold, EVMs were tampered with. They allege that tape was placed over the BJP button, preventing voters from selecting BJP during voting.
TMC Denies the Allegations
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) quickly denied the allegations. They called them failures of the Election Commission and the observer, IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma. Earlier, TMC had accused Sharma of intimidating their candidate.
In response, BJP media in-charge Amit Malviya demanded re-voting in the affected booths in Falta. He claimed that the tape prevented voters from selecting BJP, blocking their choice. Malviya referred to this incident as the “Diamond Harbour Model,” a strategy reportedly used to help Abhishek Banerjee win his Lok Sabha seat.
This is what Mamata Banerjee was defending when she spoke up for Jehangir Khan, a criminal contesting on a TMC ticket from Falta in Diamond Harbour.
In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from… pic.twitter.com/sKw3mcdA86
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 29, 2026
TMC Fires Back at BJP
TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta countered BJP’s accusations. He claimed that IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma intimidated TMC candidates and their families in Falta. Dutta questioned the actions of the election observers, saying it was a matter for the Election Commission.
He added that instead of tweeting, Amit Malviya should file a formal complaint. Dutta suggested that the Election Commission should immediately dismiss Gyanesh Kumar and suspend Ajay Pal Sharma for not meeting BJP’s expectations.
