West Bengal announces panchayat poll dates

Kolkata: West Bengal government has once again unilaterally issued notification for the panchayat (village council) polls as it could not reach a consensus with the State Election Commission (SEC) on dates and distribution of districts. Last time it did so was in April, when the SEC approached the court.

A division bench of Calcutta High Court had directed the state government on May 14 to issue the notification by Friday after consulting the poll panel so that the poll process could be completed by July 15.

Though the state government has accepted the probable dates that the commission had proposed July 2, 6 and 10, with counting on 13, but it has rejected the commission proposal for distribution of districts. Of the total 17 districts that go to polls, the government proposed a 9-4-4 formula for the distribution of the districts over the three phases. But the commission found it “unacceptable” and wanted a more “equitable” spread, mainly because of security concerns. Sources said the commission was in favour of a 6-5-6 formula.

The government has announced that all the nine districts of south Bengal districts are Burdwan, West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas would go to polls on first phase. Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Nadia should go to the polls in the second phase, and the remaining four districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur in the third leg.

Sources in the government said the commission’s proposal was not acceptable to the state government as the chief minister Mamata Banerjee herself had drawn up the distribution plan.

Though SEC is still keen on deployment of central forces, sighting security concerns but the government firmly opposed it. “There is no point in discussing security issues unless the confusion over distribution of districts is sorted out,” an official said. “It is only after this task is over that the logistics of security and forces can be discussed.”

Though SEC has received the notification, it did not react to it till late evening, but sources indicate that the issue may go back to court. “We have received the notification. We are not going to compromise on free, fair and peaceful rural polls at any cost,” a poll panel official said.