The West Bengal government has suffered a major setback as the Calcutta high court rulings in four separate cases on the Panchayat elections has put the State Election Commission in an embarrassing position.
First, the high court directed the Commission to deploy an adequate number of central forces for all districts within the next 24 hours.
Following the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the high court order, the Commission on June 20 decided to dispatch one company of central forces to every district in the state.
The decision of the state government to approach the top court against the high court order was criticised by the opposition parties and political observers.
The high court directed the Commission to ensure that the number of battalions requisitioned for the upcoming elections should not be fewer than the force requisitioned during the 2013 election. It highlighted that the number of districts and electorates has increased in the last ten years, warranting higher level of security arrangements.
The Commission was also criticised for its failure to identify sensitive areas from a law and order perspective, indicating a lack of proactive measures taken to ensure a smooth and secure electoral process
Second, Adhir Chowdhury, West Bengal Congress president and MP, alleged that candidates were assaulted and forcibly prevented from submitting poll-related documents, including Form B and party symbols, by Trinamool Congress workers, inside the premises of the Baranya block development office in Murshidabad. He approached the high court in this matter.
The Congress leader was sitting on a dharna for nearly 24 hours, demanding intervention by the court.
The matter was taken up by the high court, which directed the submission of the forms to the Commission. The court further instructed that CISF security should be provided to the candidates. It added that until CISF protection is available, the responsibility for their safety would lie with the district police superintendent.
In another case, the high court ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the block development officer (BDO) of Uluberia-I in Howrah district for allegedly tampering with the nominations of two CPI(M) candidates.
The nominations of Kashmira Bibi and Omja, both CPI(M) candidates, were cancelled after a video surfaced during scrutiny, showing the BDO tampering with the documents. In response to this, the candidates approached the high court seeking intervention.
Justice Sinha noted that the individuals involved were government employees, which necessitated the CBI investigation. The court has directed the CBI to submit its report by July 7, one day before the scheduled election.
In another case, the names of 19 CPI(M) candidates in the violence-prone Bhangore-II constituency in South 24 Parganas were initially seen on the website until June 19. However, their names were unexpectedly removed.
The high court has directed the Commission to allow these 19 CPI(M) candidates to participate in the election and contest against their opponents.