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Bengal panchayat elections: Why didn’t candidates approach SEC over clashes, says HC
The Calcutta high court on Tuesday sought to know why the candidates for the upcoming West Bengal panchayat elections did not approach the state election commission over apprehensions of political violence.
The Calcutta high court on Tuesday sought to know why the candidates for the upcoming West Bengal panchayat elections did not approach the state election commission (SEC) over apprehensions of political violence, which has claimed at least eight lives in the state so far.
“If violence has happened against a candidate, what deterred them from approaching the state election commission complaining of the same?” a division bench of chief justice TS Sivagnanam and justice Ajay Kumar Gupta said,
The bench made the remarks while hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) seeking re-conduct of elections in wards where candidates have already been ‘elected uncontested’ and extension of time to file the nominations.
The two PILs were filed by an advocate and an organisation named Save Democracy, respectively. The petitioners alleged forceful withdrawal of nominations and political violence had “vitiated the election process” and that the poll panel had taken no action in order to prevent or address the same, LiveLaw reported.
Earlier, the SEC had informed the court that it hasn’t received any petition from any candidates, alleging undue interference in the nomination process.
The division bench refused to interfere with the nomination process. “...in our earlier judgment, we have taken a decision that to what extent EC can extend nominations. That order has become final because the Supreme Court has affirmed it,” it was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.
The nomination process for the single-phase polls – to be held on July 8 – was held from June 9 to June 15 and was marked by clashes between workers of different parties. A Congress worker was shot dead in Murshidabad district on the first day of submitting papers.
In a separate case, a single bench of justice Amrita Sinha on Tuesday directed the poll panel to reconsider its decision declaring some candidates as ‘elected uncontested’ after names of opposition candidates were dropped from the final list of contestants in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas.
According to the SEC, the names were dropped due to a delay in filing the nomination process. The candidates, however, said they were unable to file the papers in view of the violence.
Justice Sinha directed the SEC to individually and thoroughly investigate each and every instance of corruption and violence alleged by the petitioners and redress them by Thursday.
Meanwhile, one person was killed and four were injured in firing during a clash between two groups of people at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday, police said. On whether the clash was between two political outfits, police said that the matter is under investigation and he would comment only after the investigation is over.
