Bengal Panchayat Polls: All-Party Meet Over Violence Today, Calcutta HC Order On Nomination Date Likely

An all-party meeting convened by the SEC today is likely to witness stormy scenes as the TMC and the Opposition continue to trade charges over alleged episodes of violence over the panchayat polls.

The State Election Commission has scheduled an all-party meeting on Tuesday to address the current law and order situation in West Bengal and listen to grievances regarding the panchayat polls. State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha will preside over the meeting, news agency PTI reported.

"All political parties have been invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday. The discussions will focus on the state's law and order situation, as well as the grievances and demands put forth by the political parties," the Sinha said.

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the meeting since the deadline for filing nominations is June 15. He argued that if the meeting had been called earlier, the opposition parties' suggestions could have been implemented. Majumdar shared these concerns with PTI.

Sujan Chakraborty, a senior CPI(M) leader, criticized the timing of the meeting, suggesting that it should have been convened before the election dates were announced. Chakraborty alleged that Sinha is ill-prepared to conduct the elections and claimed that his appointment was intended to disrupt the entire polling process.

The ruling TMC earlier welcomed the announcement, considering it a positive step by the state poll panel. The party dismissed the opposition parties' objections as mere excuses, claiming that the Opposition has not even named candidates for the panchayat elections.

The polling for approximately 75,000 seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, which includes Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, and Gram Panchayats, is scheduled for July 8.

HC TO HEAR PLEA FOR EXTENSION OF NOMINATION FILING DEADLINE

The Calcutta High Court on Monday reserved its decision on the hearing regarding the plea for extending the last date of filing nominations in the West Bengal panchayat elections. It is also hearing a plea, urging the deployment of the Central troops in Bengal to ensure peaceful elections. The court may hear the petition tomorrow.

A bench of Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya had earlier pointed out that the five-day window granted to file nominations is not enough. On Monday, the court suggested that the last date of filing nominations could be extended to June 21 and the election date can be pushed back to July 14.

However, the SEC pointed out that courts cannot interdict the election process. The SEC also said that the deadline to file nominations can be extended by a day at the most.