Mamata Banerjee alleges 4 constituencies saw power cuts, CCTV shutdowns

Hours before counting began on May 4, mamata banerjee alleged deliberate load-shedding and CCTV shutdowns at strong rooms in parts of West Bengal. She told party workers to stay on high alert outside the rooms where votes were stored and to watch through the night.

Banerjee said she had received reports from Serampore in Hooghly, Krishnanagar in Nadia, Ausgram in Burdwan, and Kolkata’s Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra. She said power cuts were being imposed in phases and that vehicles were seen moving in and out of strong room premises.

Mamata Banerjee and the strong rooms

In her post on X before the count, Banerjee used the phrase “deliberate load-shedding” and said the actions were being carried out “at the behest of the BJP.” She told party cadre to “keep watch,” file complaints if they noticed suspicious activity, and demand access to CCTV footage.

Mahua Moitra added a narrower claim late at night, saying CCTV cameras in strongrooms of four assembly constituencies were switched off for over two minutes. The constituencies she named were Krishnanagar North, Chapra, Kaliganj, and Nakashipara.

West Bengal vote count

The allegation landed against a tense electoral backdrop. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the TMC won 215 seats and the BJP won 77. The Election Commission deployed 2.4 lakh central forces personnel in the state, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah raised violence repeatedly across more than 50 rallies.

For workers stationed near strong rooms, Banerjee’s message was practical: stay outside, keep watch, report anything unusual, and press for CCTV footage. The immediate question now is whether the reported outages and camera shutdowns at the named locations prompt complaints or official scrutiny before the count moves forward.