Bengal Panchayat Polls: HC Extends Date For Filing Nominations For Candidates Prevented Earlier
WB Panchayat Elections 2023: The HC order comes amid allegations by the Opposition that their candidates were facing hurdles in filing nomination papers.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday extended by a day the last date for filing of Bengal panchayat election nominations for candidates allegedly prevented in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district. The HC order comes amid allegations by the Opposition that the ruling Trinamool Congress supporters resorted to violence to prevent their candidates from filing nomination papers.
The rural polls will be held on July 8 and the last date for filing nominations was June 15.
Justice Amrita Sinha directed the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Basirhat police to "render necessary assistance" to all prospective candidates in filing their nominations, PTI reported.
The HC directive came after BJP Basirhat district committee chief filed a petition alleging that candidates of the saffron party were facing hurdles in filing their nominations.
The petioner claimed BJP candidates were unable to file nominations as they were stopped on the way and "beaten up mercilessly by goons owing allegiance to the ruling party in the state".
On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to deploy central forces across all West Bengal districts within 48 hours.
The court noted that no appreciable steps were taken by the SEC ever since an order was passed by it earlier this week to deploy central forces in sensitive areas for the poll process.
The last day of nomination filing for the panchayat polls was, however, marked by violence in several parts of the state, leaving three dead and others injured.
Two persons were killed at Bhangore in South 24 Parganas district, around 30 km from Kolkata, while another youth was gunned down by miscreants at Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, asserted on Friday that the panchayat poll nomination process was peaceful, and accused the opposition of trying to malign the state by orchestrating the violence.
She denied any involvement of her party workers in the incidents of violence, PTI reported.
"There is no other state other than Bengal where the panchayat poll nomination process is so peaceful. The opposition parties - CPI(M), Congress, BJP and the ISF are trying to blame us over one or two incidents during the nomination exercise," the TMC supremo said.
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