In a development unprecedented in the electoral history of India and stridently representative of Mamata Banerjee Government’s inability to even hold a peaceful panchayat election, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday intervened in the poll process and stalled the panchayat election procedure till April 16 when the State Election Commission largely dismissed by the Opposition as a tool in the hands of a despotic Chief Minister will be required to submit an action-taken-report against electoral malpractices.
The import of the term electoral malpractices here would also include, the number of candidates who could not file their nominations on account a sudden withdrawal by the Commission of its circular extending the nomination date by a day in response to a Supreme Court order dwelling on a petition filed by the BJP against large-scale violence by Trinamool cadres stopping Opposition parties from filing nominations, experts said.
Though the Apex Court and the High Court had while adjudicating on earlier petitions — seeking judicial intervention to prevent violence-induced rigging at the nomination stage and deployment of central force — had declined to interfere in the poll process directing the poll panel to take adequate measures, on Thursday a livid higher judiciary apparently took cognizance of the flip-flop by the Commission and directed stalling of the process till Monday and asked it to file a detailed report on actions it had taken to ensure free and fare elections.
While the immediate implication of the order which Trinamool Congress MP and senior counsel Kalyan Banerjee said would be challenged in a Division Bench would entail instant restriction on the process of scrutiny and withdrawal of nomination its far reaching impact could mean the postponement of the election process: putting thereby question mark on both Election Commissioner Amrendra Kumar Singh and the State Government’s abilities to ensure democratic environment by conducting free and fare elections, experts said.
The Opposition parties like the BJP and CPI(M) had on Wednesday moved the High Court seeking its intervention after the SEC on Tuesday morning withdrew its 10-hour-old circular passed on Monday extending the deadline for filing of nomination by a day following large-scale complaints of violence during and hindrance in filing of nominations by opposition candidates. “The order only vindicates our stance that democratic is under siege in Bengal where the Government and the ruling party does not even allow to hold the panchyayat elections,” said Mukul Roy BJP leader.