Oppn jittery over one-phase Bengal panchayat election

Tribune News Service

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Kolkata, April 26

The West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) decision on Thursday to hold a single-phase panchayat election in the state has been condemned by Opposition parties.

According to the original schedule of the election notified on April 2, polling was to take place in three phases — May 1, 3 & 5 — so that adequate security forces could be deployed on each day of polling.

But the old schedule had to be abandoned following an order by the High Court. The decision to hold elections in the entire state on a single day was taken at the instance of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government. The state government insisted that under no circumstances election should take place after the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on May 15.

According to the fresh schedule announced by SEC, polling will take place on May 14. May 16 has been decided to be the day re-polling will be held. Counting of votes is slated to take place the following day (May 17). During a brief interaction with media persons here, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed satisfaction that polling would be over before Ramadan.

According to the SEC, 58,467 polling booths will be set up in the state for the elections. Instead of EVMs, each polling booth will have three ballot boxes where the voters will cast their votes for gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zila parishad, respectively.

At least four people have already died in West Bengal of election-related violence. Opposition parties, who had earlier approached the court complaining against the violence allegedly unleashed by the ruling TMC, have expressed apprehension about the likely scenario on the day of polling.

CPM leader Biman Bose said there would rampant violence on the day of polling leading to burial of democracy in the state.