The State Election Commission and Bengal Government seemed once again heading for a showdown with the former on Monday setting a one-day time limit for the latter to inform as to how much forces it would be able to provide and by when for the three-phased panchayat elections beginning July.
Within hours of the Commission letter landing at the Writers’ Buildings a visibly irritated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her inability to arrange for the requisite number of forces.
She told the media, “They are asking for 1.5 lakh forces. I have only 50,000. Where will I bring forces from!” laying the blame on the Opposition Marxists, she said “When the left was in power they did nothing to enhance the force strength. We appointed 40,000 police personnel after coming to power.”
Banerjee’s statement came in the wake of nine poll-related in the past three weeks ever since the rural elections were announced. This, apart from thousands of complaints of intimidation and forced withdrawal of nomination against the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Curiously State Panchayat Minister Subroto Mukherjee who was on Monday summoned by Governor MK Narayanan reportedly to discuss the rural polls reacted to the allegations of poll violations saying “such cases are normal in other States and Bengal is no different.” The Election Commission had been asking for Central forces for area domination since the polls were declared.
Meanwhile, a left delegation led by CPI(M) State secretary Biman Bose on Monday met Governor MK Narayanan requesting a free and fare poll. “There is no democracy in Bengal. Thousands of panchayat seats have been won uncontested and many people have been murdered” Bose said.