EVM strongroom lock controversy in Karnataka as election trends show BJP lead in West Bengal and TVK surprise in Tamil Nadu. Photo: X
State Assembly Elections 2026 May 4 Results LIVE: Vote counting is going on across four states and one Union Territory, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. As per the early trends, the BJP is leading in West Bengal and Assam. Tamil Nadu has thrown a surprising verdict as trends started to come in. TVK’s Vijay is likely to form the government in the southern state, with MK Stalin-led DMK seeming to lose the big battle. In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF is moving ahead toward a decisive mandate against the LDF. Vote counting is also taking place for several by-elections, including the Karnataka by-elections. However, an unusual incident happened during the counting when officials had to break the locks of the EVM strongroom in Davangere South after keys were reportedly misplaced. The locks were broken in the presence of returning officer Santosh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner GM Gangadhara Swamy and election observer Ramankanth.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media, with internet users claiming that tampering has taken place with the EVMs. The incident led to a delay in the counting of postal ballots by over half an hour. People have questioned the official for negligence, with many calling it a ‘huge security breach’.
Two constituencies in Karnataka – Bagalkot and Davanagere South – went for by-elections earlier after the deaths of Congress MLAs HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. While Bagalkot recorded an impressive voter turnout of 65.69%, Davanagere South registered a turnout of 63.04%.
BJP is leading in Davanagere South, and Congress is leading in Bagalkote.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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