KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Friday observed that the time provided for filing nominations for the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal were insufficient and urged the state election commissioner to reconsider its decision.
Hearing a plea filed by Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendra Adhikari and state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a division bench led by chief justice TS Sivagnanam observed that the notice period for filing nominations is not adequate.
The court emphasized the need for comprehensive videography of all stages of the election process, starting from the filing of nominations until the counting of votes and the publication of results.
In response to the court’s observation, the state government will submit a report on Monday, while the state election commission will provide an affidavit to the court.
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The panchayat election is scheduled to be held on July 8, with the deadline for nomination submission set for June 15, and counting of votes to take place on July 11.
Following the announcement of the panchayat poll date, the Bengal BJP and the state Congress decided to approach the Calcutta High Court to address various concerns.
“Why was the Panchayat poll date announced without the consent of other parties? Why was there no all-party meeting? We demand an extension of the nomination submission deadline and the presence of central forces. We will bring these issues to the attention of the high court,” a senior BJP leader has said.
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Leaders of ruling Trinamool Congress, however, maintain that the state election commission has given sufficient time for the entire poll process and said that the two parties may not be prepared to face the public.
“A month’s time has been given for panchayat elections. Is it not enough time for all of us? Is it likely that they are not prepared for panchayat poll and hence all these (problems) are being created,” a TMC leader told The New Indian.
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