West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Tuesday sharply rebutted outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that he had worked for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the West Bengal Assembly elections. Agarwal, speaking to news agency IANS in Kolkata, asserted that he is a constitutional public servant with no allegiance to any political formation.

"(Bengal) CEO has worked for the people. I have not come here to work for the BJP or any other party," Agarwal said, in a direct response to Banerjee's claims.

Agarwal's Strong Rebuttal

The Bengal CEO invoked his civil services credentials to underline his neutrality. "I have cleared UPSC and come here on my own merit. I am here to work for the people. I am a public servant, not a servant of any political party, political individual or political post," he said.

Agarwal also denied receiving any formal complaint regarding Banerjee's separate allegation that she was physically kicked during her visit to a counting centre. "There would have been CCTV footage if she had been beaten up. If somebody is attacked, he or she will file a complaint," he stated, adding that no such complaint had been lodged with his office.

Trinamool Congress Doubles Down on Counting Allegations

Even as the CEO pushed back, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders escalated their charges against the Election Commission of India (ECI). TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged widespread irregularities in the vote count, claiming there was "misappropriation in the counting of votes this time."

He further alleged that TMC counting agents were "brutally assaulted and thrown by the CRPF", calling it "a great threat to democracy." The TMC MP also questioned the absence of publicly accessible CCTV footage at counting centres. "If they (EC) wished to maintain transparency, why was CCTV not there, whose footage could be shown to the outsiders. Why was it not shown in the press counters?" he asked.

Accusing both the BJP and the ECI, Kalyan Banerjee alleged: "They have looted everything during counting."

Mamata Banerjee's Resignation Question

Separately, Kalyan Banerjee addressed the question of whether outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was obligated to resign following her defeat. He argued that resignation is not mandatory, stating: "It is not mandatory for the chief minister to resign, as after a period of time, the Assembly is dissolved."

Earlier on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee had herself ruled out voluntarily tendering her resignation to the Governor, signalling that the political standoff in West Bengal is far from over.

Context and What Comes Next

The allegations and counter-allegations come in the immediate aftermath of the West Bengal Assembly election results, which saw the BJP make significant inroads into TMC's stronghold. The dispute over counting transparency and the conduct of security forces is likely to intensify in the days ahead, with TMC reportedly considering formal legal and constitutional avenues to challenge the outcome. The ECI has not yet issued a formal response to the TMC's broader allegations of counting misappropriation.