Former Assembly Deputy Speaker and national vice-president of BJP Kissan Morcha Rama Chandra Panda, in a letter to the State Election Commission (SEC), has requested it to announce the poll schedule soon to remove the cloud of uncertainty on the ensuing elections to the urban local bodies (UlBs) in the State.
This was disclosed by Panda at a Press meet here on Wednesday. Since hardly two months are left for expiry of the tenures of the current elected urban local bodies (UlBs), a date should be decided for polls soon to make the election process transparent, he said.
Panda in his letter wanted invocation of Article 243-K of the Constitution, which mandates supremacy of theState Election Commission (SEC) in conducting elections.
He referred to a recent report in The Pioneer which said the State Election Commission of West Bengal claimed that its powers are no way different from that of those enjoyed by the Election Commission of India in the matter of superintendence of elections in the State and the supremacy of State Election Commission (SEC)was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.
In Odisha too, the State Election Commission (SEC) should ask the Government to deploy sufficient forces, including Central forces, to ensure free and fair elections, both for urban bodies and for general elections, he said.
Panda’s letter alleged that during the last panchayat elections in Odisha, several directions of the State Election Commission (SEC) to the districts of Ganjam and Baleswar were not implemented in letter and spirit and complaints of rigging, booth-capturing and illegal canvassing were reported.
The letter further urged the SEC to take charge of officers engaged in law and order duty and for effective implementation of its guidelines as well as use the power to suspend erring officials and to make the law and order machinery accountable to it. As local police are under pressure, deployment of Central forces would guarantee public confidence, he observed.