Amid escalating political tensions and allegations of electoral manipulation, the Election Commission on Saturday deployed 165 Additional Counting Observers and 77 Police Observers across West Bengal to oversee the counting of votes for the 2026 Assembly elections.The move comes days before counting on May 4, following polling held in two phases on April 23 and April 29 for all 294 Assembly seats, which recorded a high voter turnout.The Commission said the enhanced deployment was aimed at ensuring that counting was conducted in a “secure, peaceful, intimidation-free and transparent” manner. The appointments have been made under powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution of India and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, with observers functioning under its direct supervision.The stepped-up oversight assumes significance against the backdrop of sharp allegations by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has repeatedly flagged concerns over alleged “EVM tampering” and “manipulation” ahead of counting. Banerjee has urged party workers to maintain round-the-clock vigil at strongrooms storing electronic voting machines and even visited one such facility in Kolkata, escalating the political confrontation.The Trinamool Congress has also alleged breaches in strongroom security, including claims of CCTV failures and unauthorised access, while staging protests and approaching the Commission for clarification. BJP leaders have dismissed these charges, triggering a bitter war of words between the two sides.However, the Commission has ordered repolling in 15 booths in South 24 Parganas following complaints of irregularities during voting, with fresh polling underway on Saturday.Sources indicated that Banerjee is also scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with party leaders and candidates later in the day to review strategy and preparedness ahead of counting, underlining the high-stakes nature of the contest.Against this charged backdrop, the Commission said Additional Counting Observers have been deployed in 165 constituencies where more than one counting hall has been set up, to assist Counting Observers in supervising proceedings.Police Observers will oversee security and law-and-order arrangements around counting centres and ensure adherence to the Commission’s protocols, though they will not be permitted inside counting halls on the day of counting.The Commission has also tightened access controls, mandating QR code-based photo identity cards issued via ECINet for all authorised personnel, including counting staff, candidates and their agents. Entry into counting centres will be strictly regulated through these digital passes.In a further safeguard, only the Counting Observer and the Returning Officer will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside counting halls.To ensure transparency, Form 17C-II containing results from control units will be prepared by counting supervisors in the presence of counting agents and shared with them for verification and signatures. Micro-observers deployed at each table will independently record results and submit them for cross-verification after every round.The multi-layered monitoring mechanism, the Commission said, was aimed at ensuring that the counting process remained robust and credible amid intense political scrutiny in one of the country’s most closely watched electoral contests.