West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the Bhabanipur strong room in Kolkata to address claims from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regarding potential tampering of ballot boxes. The TMC alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was colluding with the Election Commission to open ballot boxes without the presence of party representatives. Banerjee insisted on the importance of transparency in the electoral process, suggesting the installation of CCTV cameras for monitoring. She stated, 'People's votes must be protected,' and warned that any tampering plans would not be tolerated. The TMC's claims were met with a rebuttal from the Election Commission, which confirmed that no CCTV cameras were turned off and that live footage was accessible to all political parties. In a related protest, TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja staged a sit-in to highlight their concerns over electoral malpractice as the counting date approaches on May 4.