Faced with a huge shortfall of forces to man the July panchayat elections, the Bengal Government seems to have finally fallen in line with the State Election Commission and sent out an express requisition for Central paramilitary forces, sources at the Writers’ Buildings said on Wednesday.
Keeping with a Calcutta High Court order — to complete the poll process by July 15 — the Commission had on Monday issued a three-phase poll notification for July 2, 6 and 9.
However, the State Government which had from the outset rejected the Commission’s plea for 800 companies of Central forces to man 58,000 booths have finally written to the Centre requesting at least 500 companies.
Faced with the tricky question, Panchayat Minister Subroto Mukherjee said, “Holding of polls should not be a problem if the authorities have the right intention to get them conducted.” A senior Home Department official sounded more candid. He said, “The Centre could finally send 350 companies of forces the rest we have to make do from our own resources.”
The State Government has at its disposal about 40,000 forces out of which it can spare about 30,000 personnel. “We need about 80,000 personnel and there is negative response from the neighbouring States who are not willing to send their forces in the wake of Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh,” said a Panchayat Department official.
“You cannot bring forces from Tamil Nadu or any other far of States so you have to manage them from the neighbouring States,” said Pradip Bhattacharya PCC president who on Wednesday met
State Governor MK Narayanan complaining attack on the Congressmen by the Trinamool workers who allegedly were preventing them from filing nomination.
“If the State Government knew that this situation was so grim and they would not be able to manage police forces then why did not they try to arrange for them from the Centre well in advance and why they fought with the Commission on the issue in the first place,” Bhattacharya wondered.
Meanwhile both Congress and left Front complained of large scale violence in the districts alleging the Trinamool Congress workers were not allowing their candidates to fill nomination for the rural polls.
Reports of attack on Opposition came from seven blocks of Burdwan two blocks of East Midnapore, seven blocks of Bankura, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, Commission sources said adding the district administrations had been asked to take immediate step by providing security to the candidates.