No question of deferring Bengal polls, says CEC

Quelling fears expressed by the ruling CPIM that Assembly elections in the state could be deferred, Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon...

Quelling fears expressed by the ruling CPIM that Assembly elections in the state could be deferred, Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon today said that the question did not arise and the West Bengal elections would be held as per schedule. Assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held in May this year.

8216;8216;There is no question of deferring the elections in the state. There are four other states where we have to organise elections in and around the same time, and deferment of elections in the state will hamper the entire process. The Commission will make all efforts to organise a free and fair election which will be held on schedule,8217;8217; said Tandon.

While the exact schedule has not been finalised yet, Tandon said, 8216;8216;I have kept it in mind that the term of the West Bengal Assembly will come to an end on June 13,8217;8217; adding, 8216;8216;before that elections will surely be held.8217;8217;

State Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen and Tandon held an hour-long meeting to discuss the poll preparedness .

And quite expectedly, the CPIM which warned of a mass uprising in case the elections are postponed, today welcomed Tandon8217;s statement. 8216;8216;We congratulate the CEC over his announcement. There cannot be any better news than this, when people get the right to exercise their democratic right to vote in time. We have nothing against the Commission. Our complaints are against some observers who are touring districts and making false propaganda in the presence of the media,8217;8217; said Anil Biswas, CPIM state committee secretary.

The CEC said the Commission had found some officers guilty of gross negligence and malafide intentions during the roll revision process. 8216;8216;Stern action will be taken against such officers soon,8217;8217; he said.

Mamata dares LF govt to arrest her

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, against whom there is a non-bailable arrest warrant, dared the Left Front Government and the police on Thursday to arrest her.

Story continues below this ad

8216;8216;Today perpetrators of heinous crimes like child murders are roaming free and the police cannot arrest them. But they are so keen to arrest Opposition leaders. It8217;s all a move of the CPIM to decimate opposition in the State. I challenge the CPM, let them arrest me. They will face the consequences if they do it,8217;8217; she said. 8212;ENS