Apparently lulled by the Supreme Court order breaking the panchayat elections into five phases, the Bengal Government circles responded in a measured manner while the Opposition left, Congress and the BJP rejoiced the “judicious decision which finally tends to uphold the general perception that without Central forces rural elections cannot take place in fare manner.”
Hitherto the State Government had vehemently opposed multi-phased elections in the presence of Central forces. While Panchayat Minister Subroto Mukherjee had said that there was adequate force to conduct the elections, the State Election Commission maintained it would not be able to conduct the elections without the help of adequate forces. In fact, the SEC had from the beginning been demanding 800 companies of Central forces. The Friday order tended to give it more than it demanded. Finally, the SEC would get 820 companies.
Apparently on the back foot, State law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, “We are not in a position to give any reaction now. We will give it only in consultation with CM Mamata Banerjee.”
Rather Trinamool MP and senior counsel Kalayan Banerjee seemed more vociferous when he attacked State Election Commissioner Mira Pandey saying she was working at the instance of Opposition. “One has to take the reaction of Mira Pandey as she had been following the instructions of the CPI(M), Congress and the BJP,” he said, adding after the Supreme Court order Pandey would not be able to shirk her responsibility. “She cannot say now the situation is not conducive for polls in order to save the Opposition.”
Curiously, the Government had earlier wanted to hold a single phase election. later, after much ado, it agreed on two-phase polls and only after a High Court order it was decided that the elections would be held in three phases. With the State failing to provide adequate number of security personnel, the SEC moved the Supreme Court.
Welcoming the order, Bengal Opposition leader Suryakanto Mishra said, “Finally there is justice. The judgement is another slap in the Government face,” adding it only proved that the situation was volatile in Bengal. “We had always been telling that there is no democracy in the State. Already a dozen people have been killed owing to poll violence. Now five phases and presence of Central forces can bring some fairness.”
Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra said, “Till date they were only playing with legal decisions. The Government was ignoring the HC and only a SC order could make them see reasons.”
Earlier, the Government had defaulted on the Calcutta HC order on ensuring 1.5 lakh security forces. It had responded with only 55,000 forces instead.
“The Government was against bringing Central forces because it did not want to let the world know that there was no law and order in Bengal,” CPI(M) State secretary Biman Bose said, adding “the ploy of the Trinamool Congress was either to push back the elections beyond the general polls or to win with the help of goons.”
Meanwhile, SEC sources said a letter had landed in the State Commission office threatening Commissioner Mira Pandey with dire consequences. “The news have been communicated to the madam and nothing more can be said about it,” said a senior SEC official.