The Calcutta High Court on Friday pulled up the State Election Commission for allegedly failing to discharge its duties properly by instilling confidence among the voters to cast their votes in the recently concluded civic elections which was marred by large-scale violence and complaints of booth capturing by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
The ruling outfit won a thumping victory bagging 70 out of 92 municipal boards including the 144-member Kolkata Municipal Corporation where they won 114 seats. They, however, failed to win the second most important Corporation in Siliguri where all the opposition outfits entered into a “tactical alliance” by jointly thwarting electoral violence and booth-capturing.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur pulled up the Election Commissioner for expressing his “helplessness” to conduct free and fair polls and failing to instill confidence among the people.
Insisting that it was the duty of the Commission to take all the decisions during the elections the Court asked the poll Panel to submit the details of expenditures it incurred in bringing out advertisements asking the people to come out and vote fearlessly.
The current SEC SR Upadhyaya a WBCS cadre officer was installed on the post by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the retirement of Meera Pandey an IAS who had earned accolades by trying to win free and fare panchayat elections in 2013.
The State Opposition immediately raised a hue and cry insisting the High Court remark only underscored their claim that the elections were thoroughly rigged. “This only proves that the civic elections were not genuine,” said the left.