Justice Subrata Talukdar of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold meaningful consultations on security arrangements in the state with all stakeholders for the panchayat elections. The commission should keep in mind the Supreme Court’s directive on it to address grievances, the court observed.
However, the court made it clear that the SEC will take the final call on security arrangements and poll dates.
Justice Talukdar directed the SEC to inform a Division Bench presided by acting Chief Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya on security arrangements made for the elections as the security matters had come up before it earlier.
The petitions of Congress and BJP to change the nomination date following allegations of many candidates not being allowed to file their nomination was disposed off by the court. The SEC has acted in accordance with the court’s order, it was observed.
The court directed the SEC to accept the nominations of nine persons of Bhangar whose documents were snatched away and were later detained by miscreants. They later sent their nominations through electronic mode and the court directed the commission that no technicality is to stand in their way.
State election commissioner, A K Singh is likely to meet director general of police (DGP) Surojit Kar Purkayasthya on Wednesday seeking report on the law and order situation before announcing fresh dates for panchayat polls.
Sources also said that SEC would meet again with officer-on-special-duty (OSD) in the state panchayat department, Sourav Das, on Wednesday to discuss the government’s views on fresh dates of elections.
Mr Das met Mr Singh during the day conveying the government’s proposal to complete the poll process before the month of Ramzan beginning from 16 May.
But the commission didn’t agree with the government’s proposal. Mr Das returned from the SEC and briefed chief secretary Moloy De on the latest situation in the SEC following which the minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with both the officials on the situation.
The election commission is for holding the polls in three phases on 14, 16 and 18 May, while the state government wants the polls to end before the Ramzan.
Initially, the state government wanted the elections to be on a single day on 14 May but later it gave its nod for holding the polls in two phases. The state government is against holding the election on 18 May.
The commission will hold another round of meeting with the state government on Wednesday afternoon following which the dates are likely to be announced.