Mamata questions poll panel, says law & order is State subject
The West Bengal Government and the Election Commission are locked in yet another round of confrontation after the poll watchdog on Wednesday decided to replace State police personnel by that of the Central forces at all polling booths for the remaining phases.
This invited a strong reaction from Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who questioned the constitutional validity of the steps being “taken under the instruction of the BJP Government” and said law and order was a State subject and the EC should not interfere with it.
According to the EC, all polling stations will be covered by Central forces as static postings and nearly 578 companies of Central forces have been deployed for this purpose. The EC also made it clear that neither West Bengal Police nor Central forces are allowed inside the polling booth (in the room where machines and EVMs are kept at the time of voting. “They can enter if and when the presiding officer calls them in,” the EC said.
Besides EC’s Special Police Observer for West Bengal, 142 Quick Response Teams, manned by Central forces, will be kept ready to reach any place of incident. For the fourth phase of polling on Monday, 100 companies of paramilitary were moved from Jammu & Kashmir to West Bengal.
Slamming the EC decision, Mamata said, “It is very clear under whose instructions such steps are being taken, defying the very federal nature of the Constitution, which makes law and order as the State subject.”
Mamata earlier said in an election rally that a parallel administration was being run in Bengal despite the fact that there was an elected Government in place.
Wondering why some retired officers (special observers) were being overactive during the elections, she said, “They are changing officers every day, they are abusing Bengal by comparing it with Bihar and making political statements. But the people of Bengal will not tolerate this.”
She said, “You can bring five crore policemen from Delhi but at the end the results will be zero as you will be able to win no seats from the State. “The TMC will win 42 out of 42 seats.”
Polling will take place in 13,290 polling stations on May 6. There are 15,428 and 17,042 polling stations in the sixth and seventh phases of polling in Bengal respectively. EC officials said that Central forces were deployed in 50 per cent of the polling stations in the first phase, it was raised to 80 per cent in the second phase. It was further increased to 90 per cent in the third phase and finally to 98.8 per cent in the fourth phase on Monday.
In comparison, 270 companies were deployed in 2014 in the State through five phases and 210 companies in 2009. The polls in West Bengal this time are being held in seven phases.
Officials said that security deployment in West Bengal for 2019 Lok Sabha polls are second only to the level in Jammu & Kashmir. For the fourth phase of polling on Monday 100 companies of paramilitary were moved from Jammu & Kashmir to West Bengal. As many as 820 companies have been deployed in Jammu & Kashmir with Central forces handling anti terror-operations, law and order and election-related duties.
West Bengal has seen poll-related violence in each of the four phases of voting that have taken place so far. While a large number of locals had threatened to boycott elections unless Central forces are deployed, poll officials too demanded that security be assured for a peaceful election.