Calcutta High Court orders deployment of central forces for West Bengal panchayat polls

During the hearing of petitions related to the polls, the division bench of Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Hiranmay Bhattcharya had previously expressed concerns over the five-day period provided for filing nomination papers, stating it was prima facie insufficient.

On Tuesday, the bench stated, it was up to the commission whether they will extend the nomination date or not.

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 be conducted simultaneously and at the same venue.

On June 7, former Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha was appointed as the new State Election Commissioner, and the next day he announced the Panchayat election schedule. The election will be held in a single phase on July 8, with vote counting scheduled for July 11.

Sinha stated, “The election for the two-tier (panchayat) in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, and for the three-tiers (panchayat) in the rest of West Bengal, will be held in one phase on July 8. The process of nomination will start on June 9 and continue till June 15. The model code of conduct will be applicable from this evening.” He added that the last day for withdrawal of nominations would be June 20, and polling would take place from 7 am to 5 pm.

The following day, the Calcutta High Court held an urgent hearing on two PILs filed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari regarding the upcoming Panchayat elections scheduled for July 8.

The division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnaman and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya acknowledged the petitioners’ concerns that the five-day nomination filing period was inadequate and asked the State Election Commission to reconsider. However, after concluding the hearing on Monday, the bench reserved its order.