No notification by poll panel yet,uncertainty looms over phase I

“If they would have issued the notification today then there was a chance for holding the election on the same dates as announced by the state government earlier,” said a senior lawyer of Kolkata High Court.

There were hectic activities both at the state election commission office and at Writers’ Buildings over resolving the stalemate.

The state election commission held a meeting to review the government’s revised notification issued on Tuesday where it made a minor change in the schedule by adding three more districts in the second phase. The poll panel seemed to have accepted the two-phase poll plan but it has remained firm on the deployment of Central forces.

The poll panel decided to send another letter to the government State election commissioner Meera Pandey,who met Governor M K Narayanan again on Thursday — second time in three days — said they will take a view reconsidering all other views after receiving the government’s reply.

Asked whether such a stalemate between the state government and the state election commission is going towards a constitutional crisis,Roy did not want to comment anything,but added: “Let’s see”.

However,Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy appeared confident and said there was no imminent threat of any constitutional crisis arising out of the delay in the issuing of the poll notification by the state election commission. “There is no crisis and there is still time left for the state election commission to issue final notification,” Roy said.

Meanwhile,Governor summoned Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee to Raj Bhavan on Friday. “My office received a phone call from Governor’s House on Wednesday. I was not in my department. If there is a call (from Raj Bhavan),I will go,” Mukherjee told reporters.