Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 3 (ANI): West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya has urged party workers to maintain peace during the assembly election vote counting on May 4, calling for an end to retaliatory political violence.

Adressing a presser in Kolkata. Bhattacharya emphasised a needed shift in mindset, stating that winning should not lead to replicating past violence against political opponents.

'Our appeal is that there should be no violence of any kind. Winning does not mean that just because someone broke your house or killed your worker last time, this time you do the same to them. That should not happen... There should be a change in our mindset as well, and such incidents should not occur,' he said.

He noted that the Supreme Court has already addressed AITC's plea, challenging the Calcutta High Court order, which had rejected its petition against the alleged deployment of only Central government employees as voter counting supervisors in the West Bengal assembly election.

Confident in security measures, the BJP leader assured that the vote-counting process on May 4 will be secure, with forces deployed to ensure no repetition of the post-poll violence of 2021.

'Tomorrow's vote counting will take place without any hindrance. Forces will be deployed everywhere, our counting agents will stay throughout. There will be no repeat of 2021. The votes that people have cast will not be looted. Those who went to the Supreme Court against this, the Supreme Court has also given them a response,' he said.

After hearing both sides, the Supreme Court on Saturday declined to issue any directions in the case. It recorded the submission of the ECI that its April 13 circular would be implemented in full. The Court noted that this includes the deployment of State government employees along with Central government and PSU personnel in the vote counting process, as claimed by AITC.

The Bench, therefore, disposed of the matter without passing further orders, except reiterating the statement made by the ECI's counsel.

The dispute arises from a communication dated April 13, 2026, issued by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, which directed that at least one among the counting supervisor or counting assistant at each table must be a Central Government or Central PSU employee for the Assembly election vote counting.

AITC challenged this direction as arbitrary, without jurisdiction, discriminatory, and giving rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias. It argued that the Bharatiya Janata Party, being in power at the Centre, exercises administrative control over such personnel. The party also contended that the directive was applied only to West Bengal, unlike other states holding elections simultaneously, thereby violating the principle of free and fair elections.

The party further argued that the ECI already has a comprehensive framework for vote counting, including the appointment of micro-observers--usually Central/PSU employees--to ensure transparency. Despite this, the April 13 communication introduced an additional requirement without any clear material basis, relying only on vague apprehensions of irregularities. (ANI)