With the Union Home Ministry declaring its inability to send forces for panchayat elections and the Bengal State Election Commission on Monday expressing its incapability to hold the polls without adequate forces, the fate of rural polls slipped many levels deeper into uncertainty.
The State Commission filed an affidavit before the Calcutta High Court which was hearing the vexed panchayat poll issue for the past couple of months. It told the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi that the forces being provided by the State Government was “hopelessly inadequate” and in such circumstances it would not be possible for the Commission to conduct the polls.
The State had already seen about a dozen deaths in the run up to the polls which would be held in three phases starting July 2.
“Even if the forces were to come just before the polls, it would not be possible to deploy them in such short period of time,” said a Commission official, saying the poll seemed as good as postponed.
The State Government had earlier assured the High Court that it would provide the adequate number of forces but failed to do so. It was a deliberate plan of the Government not to hold elections, Commission advocate Samaraditya Pal told the Court wondering “how many more deaths were needed for the Government to ensure adequate forces.”
Earlier, the Centre counsel SS Sarkar had pleaded with the Government that it would not be possible for it to despatch the forces as demanded by the Government on account of the rescue works being conducted in Uttarakhand and the mounting threats in States like Chhattisgarh.
The Commission also said that at present juncture it was not even possible for it to reschedule the elections without getting assurance from the Government about adequate number of forces. Currently, the Government was in a position to give only 56,000 forces against the demand of 1.5 lakh personnel.
Meanwhile the High Court asked the Government to reconsider the inability to send forces in another 24 hours.