Congress MP Tariq Anwar criticized the use of central forces during the West Bengal assembly elections, claiming they operated with bias to ensure the defeat of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He expressed regret over the decision to involve only central government employees in the vote counting process, which he deemed inappropriate. The Supreme Court of India, however, declined to issue any directives regarding a plea from the TMC that challenged this deployment. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal clarified that the Supreme Court did not dismiss the TMC's concerns but acknowledged the Election Commission of India's (ECI) circular, which stipulated that both central and state employees should be involved in the counting process. As counting is set to commence on May 4, the urgency of the matter was highlighted by the special Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi.