Sanjay Raut has raised alarms about the integrity of the electoral process in West Bengal. He links potential vote tampering to the influence of the BJP and the Election Commission.
On early Tuesday, Raut, a leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), voiced his concerns during a press briefing. He stated that people are increasingly worried about their votes being tampered with since Modi, Shah, and the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, are in power.
Raut criticized Gyanesh Kumar, suggesting he shows bias towards the BJP. He described this situation as dangerous for democracy. “Distrust in democracy is dangerous,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal’s Chief Minister, visited an EVM strong room before election results were announced. This visit raised eyebrows among political observers.
Banerjee has urged vigilance with her slogan “Jagate Raho”—a call echoed by Raut. He compared her slogan to one used by Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh.
Raut emphasized that large forces’ presence during elections is concerning. Political activity has intensified ahead of the assembly election results.
As of midday Tuesday, no official response has come from the Election Commission regarding Raut’s allegations. Observers are closely monitoring developments in this politically charged atmosphere.
