A day after the Calcutta High Court ordered the requisition and deployment of central forces in all areas declared sensitive by the State Election Commission (SEC) for the upcoming panchayat polls in the state, the BJP’s West Bengal President Sukanta Majumdar alleged that the commission was not allowing forces to take charge.

The BJP West Bengal chief also alleged that there has been no initiative since the high court judgment. “There are several blocks where candidates are not being able to file nominations. State Election Commission is not working properly. They are not allowing Central Forces to take charge. If this continues, free and fair elections will not be conducted here. No initiatives have been taken by the State Election Commission with regard to complying with the court’s ruling,” Majumdar said on Wednesday.

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West Bengal LoP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari also broke the barricades installed outside the State Election Commission office in Kolkata.

Adhikari was surrounded by his supporters when he broke the barricades near the office of the state poll panel.

Later, speaking to media persons, the LoP claimed that the TMC has said since there are no sensitive booths in West Bengal, there was no need for the deployment of central forces in panchayat elections.

“This is an attempt to kill democracy, we will launch protests against this. We will end Mamata Banerjee’s jungle raj in West Bengal. We are fighting for democracy and the people of the state will prevail. They are claiming that since there are no sensitive booths in West Bengal, there was no need for Central forces to be deployed in the state,” Adhikari said.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered the requisition and deployment of central forces in all areas declared sensitive by the State Election Commission (SEC) for the polls.

“In areas where the central forces are not deployed, the onus will be on the state police and the State Election Commission (SEC) to ensure the safety of the polling agents. The SEC should and shall consider the requisition of deployment of Central Paramilitary forces for sensitive areas,” the court said in its order.

In addition to the deployment of Central forces, the court also ordered the SEC to install CCTV cameras at every booth and corner of the counting centers.

The court further directed that the counting of votes for all three tiers of the panchayat has to be conducted simultaneously and at the same venue.
The election will be held in a single phase on July 8, with the counting of votes scheduled for July 11.

The panchayat polls in West Bengal are likely to see a fierce contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress is being touted as a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.