In an abrupt move the Trinamool Congress Government has written to the State Election Commission seeking arrangement of Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls in the month of March which will be roughly a month and a half ahead of the Assembly elections likely to be held in the month of April-May.
According to sources the State Government has said that the rectification of electoral rolls were in progress and would be completed soon, where after the polls could be held.
The SEC sources said the proposal would be sent to the Supreme Court for its directives.
The BJP however demanded simultaneous elections not only in Kolkata but all the civic boards which had gone defunct and had been placed under administrators following postponement of polls in pandemic situation.
The TMC Government’s sudden move is seen as a four-pronged ploy to understand its base vis a vis the BJP. Besides, the party also wants to rejuvenate its organizational base.
Apart from this the KMC elections would also provide a scope to understand the loyalty lines in the party. This apart the party which has earned a bad name for rigging polls to rampant violence also wants to clean that image by holding peaceful polls.
Meanwhile in a separate development the BJP leadership have approached the central Election Commission seeking early deployment of central forces to dominate the pre-electoral atmosphere in the aftermath of attack on BJP national president JP Nadda, party sources said.