Kolkata, May 4 -- Chaos erupted at the Sakhawat Memorial counting hall on Monday as the BJP launched a formal protest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging a gross violation of Election Commission (EC) protocols during the ongoing vote count.

Suryanil Das, the chief election agent for Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, has demanded an immediate halt to the counting process until "responsibility is fixed" for what he describes as a systemic security failure.

According to Das, the Chief Minister bypassed mandatory security checks that apply to all candidates and agents. The BJP's primary grievances include allegations that Banerjee entered the premises without a valid, QR-coded ID card mandated by the EC.

He claimed that t...