The Panchayat Poll impasse continued even as the West Bengal State Election Commission on Tuesday made the Central Government a party in its law suit against the Mamata Banerjee Government over the inadequate supply of forces to conduct the three-phased rural elections beginning July 2.
The Calcutta High Court admitted the SEC’s plea to include the Centre as a party in the suit hearing of which would be held on Wednesday. The State Government and the SEC had locked horn in a bitter legal battle over the control of panchayat elections and supply of security forces.
The Commission had petitioned the court seeking “further directions” as the Government had failed to provide adequate forces prescribed by the High Court in an earlier order. The Commission needs 1.5 lakh forces in the first phase whereas the Government has managed to provide only 55,000 policemen. The Centre had earlier expressed its inability to provide Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for rural elections.
This, amid complaints of thousands of “uncontested” wins for the ruling Trinamool Congress and a number of pre-poll killings. Meanwhile, Opposition left and BJP raised their voices on the State Government’s “undemocratic” ways of conducting the polls with BJP MP Siddharthnath Singh condemning the ongoing violence.
“Hooliganism and terrorism of TMC and left cadres are at its vulgar display,” Singh said advocating the need of central forces for the polls. A BJP leader and a panchayat samiti member in Malda district in North Bengal was shot dead by alleged Trinamool goons a few days ago.
The State had witnessed nine deaths so fat in the poll related violence in the past few weeks.
CPI(M) State secretary Biman Bose who led a deputation to the SEC petition it for re-phasing of polls and making provisions for the opposition candidates who had been prevented from contesting the elections to file their nomination said the law and order situation in Bengal had reached its nadir.