All eyes are on the Calcutta high court where two division benches are scheduled to hear and pronounce verdict on two petitions on Tuesday, both crucial to the Bengal panchayat polls that are billed as the last rehearsal before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The bench of chief justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya and Arijit Banerjee will hear a petition by the Congress seeking quashing of the single-phase election date on May 14 on grounds of inadequate police force to ensure law and order.
Another division bench of justice Biswanath Somadder and justice Arindam Mukherjee is expected to pass the order on the CPI(M)’s petition to accept nominations filed through email.
Both can have far reaching consequences on the election process.
Several incidents of violence have rocked Bengal in the run up to the polls with the opposition accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of using strong arm tactics. The TMC has already won 34.2% of the total 58,692 seats of the three-tier elections uncontested.
Opposition parties have alleged that though there were more than 58,400 booths in the state, the police force has only 46,000 armed personnel and 12,000 policemen without firearms. The situation, they argued, would allow a free run for the ruling party-backed musclemen in a repeat of the violence during the nomination process.
The filing of nomination through emails is of no less significance. As many as eight land agitators in Bhangar who are battling the TMC filed nomination papers through Whatsapp. The State Election Commission accepted their nomination under orders from the high court since they were prevented from reaching the offices to submit papers.
{{/usCountry}}The filing of nomination through emails is of no less significance. As many as eight land agitators in Bhangar who are battling the TMC filed nomination papers through Whatsapp. The State Election Commission accepted their nomination under orders from the high court since they were prevented from reaching the offices to submit papers.
{{/usCountry}}The CPI (M) has argued in court that many could not file nominations since they were prevented from reaching the offices and, therefore, their submission through emails should also be entertained.
State election commissioner A K Singh will also be keenly waiting for the verdicts. Over the past few weeks his office has been repeatedly pulled up by the court that has made a number of adverse comments on the neutrality and efficiency of the poll panel.
From the very first hour when the submission of nomination papers began on April 2, opposition parties began alleging that ruling party supporters were using every weapon of intimidation, from phone calls to crude bombs and firearms, to prevent their candidates from filing nomination.
Trinamool Congress leaders have, however, alleged the failure of the opposition to file nomination is attributable to the fact that the parties don’t enjoy support of the people, and therefore, did not get anybody willing to represent them from the seats that they have won without a contest.