West Bengal’s State Election Commission (SEC) is set to hold an all-party meeting on July 13 to hear the demands and grievances of political parties regarding the July 8 panchayat elections. The objective of the meeting is to discuss the law and order situation in relation to the elections. This move comes after a series of clashes and ransacking of party offices, with opposition parties alleging that Trinamool Congress workers prevented their candidates from filing nominations.
The SEC has invited all parties to attend the meeting, which will be chaired by SEC Rajiva Sinha. The BJP has stated that the meeting would bear no fruit, while the CPI(M) questioned its purpose when only two days were left for filing nominations.
The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, welcomed the SEC’s move. The party’s spokesperson, Kunal Ghosh, said that they saw no problem with the meeting. He also accused opposition parties of making excuses and not having candidates to field.
The SEC has directed all district magistrates and superintendents of police to enforce prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC within a one-kilometre radius of all nomination centres. This is seen as a measure to prevent any further incidents of violence and disruption to the election process.
Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty criticized the SEC, saying it was ill-prepared to hold the elections. He also raised concerns about the timing of the meeting, stating that it was called before the dates of the election were decided.
The all-party meeting is expected to provide a platform for political parties to voice their concerns and grievances about the election process. It remains to be seen what solutions will be proposed to ensure a free and fair election.
