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Apprehending manipulation of the vote counting procedure by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, the opposition Left Front Thursday asked the Election Commission to protect its agents during the exercise Friday.
Left Front (LF) chairman Biman Bose said they would "protest against" the use of force by the ruling party which was trying to tamper with the counting.
"The EC did not arrange security cover for the polling agents of opposition parties. It failed to prevent the entry of unauthorised people inside poll booths. It must ensure our counting agents are protected," Bose told reporters here.
"Full scale rigging during counting is the ultimate target of the Trinamool," he said.
Counting will begin at 8 a.m. Friday in 69 centres at 48 places in the state.
