West Bengal Elections 2026: Trinamool Congress Approaches Supreme Court Against ECI

Kokata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has approached the Supreme Court over the Election Commission's decision to deploy central government staff during West Bengal Election 2026. The party has sought an urgent hearing in this matter. It is pertinent to note that the election results are due to be declared in just two days.

Why did the Trinamool Congress take this step?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has opposed the decision to appoint only Central government employees as counting supervisors for the vote tabulation in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The TMC has moved the Supreme Court against this decision by the Election Commission.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had dismissed the TMC's petition. Justice Krishna Rao stated that the Election Commission possesses the authority to appoint counting supervisors and assistants from among either State government or Central government employees. There is nothing unlawful in this. Voting for the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly was held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

What are the allegations of the Trinamool Congress?

The TMC alleges that Central government employees could potentially fall under the influence of the BJP; however, the court dismissed this apprehension. The High Court observed that micro-observers, candidates' counting agents, and other personnel are also present in the counting halls, thereby ruling out the possibility of any irregularities. Election officials submitted to the court that these appointments were made in strict accordance with established procedures. The deployment of Central government employees is intended to ensure impartiality and to preempt any allegations of bias.

The TMC's petition challenged an order issued on April 30 by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, which mandated that there must be at least one supervisor or assistant drawn from the Central government workforce at every counting table. Arguing on behalf of the Trinamool, counsel Kalyan Banerjee contended that this order was issued in excess of the authority vested in the official and was based solely on mere apprehensions. He argued that, under such circumstances, the fairness of the election results could be compromised.

Were Questions Raised Over Strong Room Security by TMC?

Meanwhile, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, stated that there is absolutely no scope for any irregularities at the counting centers, and that the strong rooms are being monitored round-the-clock via CCTV surveillance. This statement by the CEO comes a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent hours at the strong room in her Bhabanipur constituency and expressed apprehensions regarding rigging. In light of the tension that erupted on Thursday night around two counting centers in Kolkata, the police have imposed prohibitory orders outside all seven strong rooms in the city.