Senior Congress MP and party's Bengal president Adhir Chowdhury has alleged that the Trinamool Congress in connivance with the State Government is printing duplicate ballot papers — from the same printing presses where the Election Commission is printing the ballot papers for panchayat elections — so that they can be exchanged with the real ones ,post panchayat polls while in the process of being transported from the booths to the strongrooms.

"We have definite reports that ballot papers are being printed in duplicates … they are printing double ballot papers so that they can be swapped with the original ones after the elections and while being transported to the strong rooms," Chowdhury said, adding how three officials who had not heeded the orders from the superior authorities had been shunted out.

"The TMC knows that they are going to fare very badly in the panchayat elections which is why they have started to terrorise the people … first they got a stooge of an Election Commissioner appointed who is acting at the behest of Mamata Banerjee … then they terrorized the opposition against filing nominations and till now have won more than 12 percent of the seats uncontested … then they are taking this third measure to exchange the real ballot papers while enroute to the strong-rooms with the duplicate ones that would be pre-stamped in favor of the TMC candidates," Chowdhury said adding his party would take all possible steps to stop this.

"Three district level officials from Purulia who were in charge of the printing process have been shunted out … they had refused to hand-over the keys were the ballot papers are being stored … we will soon come out with concrete proof of what happened and move the High Court if required," Nepal Mahato a former Congress MLA and PCC member complained.

While the TMC leadership rejected Chowdhury's claims, Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari too confirmed such reports saying "I have been told about double ballot papers being printed … and we are keeping a close watch on this … we will ask our party men to keep a close vigil while the papers are being transported from the booths … I will ask them to follow the transport vans and remain awake through the day and night keeping vigil on the strong-rooms."

He further advised the BJP men to destroy the ballot boxes if they were looted from the booths by the TMC goons.

CPI(M) State secretary Md Salim too said that his party cadres have been alerted about the ballot boxes. "We have asked our comrades to keep a strict vigil … the TMC has lost support bases in large parts … so they will this time rely on their musclemen and loot the ballot papers … but we will not allow this to happen this time round."

TMC however, rejected Chowdhury's claim saying this was one way of conceding defeat. "They know that they will lose the elections and so they are giving excuses," said TMC MP Shantanu Sen adding "let Adhir Chowdhury prove his claim … but if he fails the TMC will take him to task … he will have to face legal consequences for this."