By Admin 
- Calcutta High Court rejects TMC’s vote counting petition.
- Upheld the appointment of supervisors to Central PSU employees as valid.
- The petition was dismissed, calling TMC’s apprehensions baseless.
- The court made it clear not to interfere in the counting of votes.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (April 30, 2026) rejected the petition of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, in which objections were raised by the party regarding the vote counting process. The court has made it clear in its decision that there will be no interference in the counting of votes.
In fact, Trinamool Congress MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee argued in the petition filed in the Calcutta High Court that for the vote counting proposed on Monday (May 4, 2026), the Election Commission has made only the employees of the Central Government and Central Public Undertakings (PSU) as observers. On this, the High Court in its decision validated the decision to appoint Central Government and PSU employees as counting supervisors and assistants. The court said that such appointments come within the discretion of the Election Commission and cannot be called illegal.
Also read: ‘You will have to stay awake the whole night, data can be changed in the computer’, CM Mamata’s appeal before counting.
What did the Calcutta High Court say in its decision?
The High Court also made it clear in its decision that the provisions of the relevant handbook do not limit the selection only to state government employees. Moreover, the presence of systems like micro observers, agents and CCTV ensure transparency in the counting process, hence the allegations are based only on apprehensions.
The court also upheld the powers of the Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) and said that therefore the order in question cannot be considered without jurisdiction. The court also rejected the apprehension of Trinamool Congress that central government employees could work under political influence. On this the court said that many stakeholders are present in the counting hall. Security measures like CCTV and observers ensure fairness of the process. In such a situation, the allegations are just apprehensions, in support of which there is no concrete evidence.
Court rejected TMC’s petition
The Calcutta High Court also reiterated in its decision that any kind of interference should be avoided during the election process. If anyone has any complaint, he can file an election petition under Section 100 of the Representation of the People Act 1951. With this decision, the court made it clear that the demands of Trinamool Congress regarding vote counting have no legal basis and they are rejected.
Also read: Allegations of ballot box tampering, ruckus and BJP-TMC face to face, high voltage drama continued for long in Kolkata.