India, May 1 -- Tension erupted at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre in central Kolkata, where EVM strong rooms have been set up for several north and east Kolkata Assembly constituencies, after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders staged a sit-in protest alleging electoral irregularities.

TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja accused authorities of malpractice, claiming CCTV footage showed unidentified individuals inside the strong room "tampering with ballot-related materials" from EVM systems. The protest escalated outside the premises, drawing attention to security arrangements at the counting facility.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) rejected the allegations, stating that no EVM tampering had taken place. It cl...