TMC ups attack on poll panel

Speaking to the mediapersons,the former railway minister said: “The state election commission is biased in favour of the opposition parties. And I suspect the draft of the letters it (SEC) is sending to the state government is being prepared in the office of a political party which is afraid of facing the polls.”

Though he did not name the party,it was quite obvious that the Trinamool leader was referring to the CPM. Weeks ago,he had even referred state election commissioner as a CPM stooge.

Accusing the previous Left Front government of doubling the tenure of the present election commissioner by amending the West Bengal Panchayat Act in 2010 to derive political benefit,Roy said: “The tenure of the present state election commissioner (Meera Pandey) was doubled to six years by the Left government in 2010 to derive political benefit. This was not constitutional.” “The tenure of the state election commissioner was doubled as the Left Front could foresee its dwindling political fortunes since 2008 and drubbing in the hustings in 2011 Assembly election,” he added.

Frustrated by the poll panel’s not issuing a parallel notification to the government’s unilateral one,Roy accused the state election commission of delaying the panchayat polls “to benefit the opposition politically”. He said the Trinamool government wanted the panchayat polls be held in February to which the commission did not agree. Stating that there is a “conspiracy” to delay the elections,he claimed the delay is aimed at postponing the certain defeat of parties like the CPM and the Congress whose support has been declining steadily.

“The more there is a delay in holding the elections,more the temperature will rise. If 10-12 people die during the polls,will the state election commission take responsibility for it?” Roy asked.

He also discounted the role of the office of the Governor in holding the panchayat elections. “Governor has no role to play in the issue,” he replied when asked about Pandey approaching M K Narayanan to resolve the issue.