West Bengal Panchayat Polls: State Election Commission To Approach HC Over Deployment Of Central Forces
The SEC will be approaching a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya on Thursday with a review petition.
The West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) is preparing to file a review petition in the Calcutta High Court against the order of a Division Bench for the deployment of central armed forces in the state for the July 8 panchayat polls. The SEC will be approaching a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya on Thursday with a review petition. Notably, this is the same bench that earlier passed the order for the deployment of forces. Till Wednesday evening, the SEC hadn't taken any decision on the deployment. However, now after its decision to approach the High Court with a review petition, opposition parties have started questioning its sincerity in ensuring free and fair polls in the rural civil body elections.
Meanwhile, the Bengal BJP unit will also be moving the same division bench on Thursday but, with a different plea, seeking an explanation as to why the Commission had been reluctant on taking any decision on the deployment of central forces in the state. Leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari has made a serious accusation against the members of the West Bengal cabinet and the district superintendent of state police for convening a meeting in which they conspired and had a discussion on how to resort to massive rigging on the election day. Adhikari took to Twitter on Wednesday to make this accusation.
His tweet read, "At this very moment a meeting is going on between Minister Aroop Biswas, TMC MLA Khokan Das; Purba Bardhaman District TMC President & MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee in Room No 121 of Hotel Sinclairs Burdwan. The agenda is how to loot votes & rig upcoming Panchayat Elections in Purba Bardhaman district. Guess who joined them at 11.57 pm? SP Purba Bardhaman; Mr Kamanasish Sen, in plain clothes."
The polls for the state panchayat polls are scheduled on July 8 in a single phase and the counting will be on July 11.
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