West Bengal State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha met with Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Sunday to discuss the preparations for the upcoming panchayat elections, which have been marred by a series of violent incidents in the state resulting in eight deaths. Sinha’s meeting with the governor came amidst concerns that delays in the arrival of central paramilitary forces to oversee the election process, as mandated by the Calcutta High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court, may force the SEC to reschedule the polls and hold them in multiple phases. Apparently, the state government requested 822 companies of paramilitary forces, but only 364 companies have arrived as yet. The Centre has not provided an update on the remaining 458 companies, according to sources within the SEC.
On June 13, the Calcutta High Court had directed the SEC to immediately requisition central forces and deploy them in constituencies that the polling body has already declared to be sensitive. The order was contested by the state government and SEC in the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeals on June 20. The top court noted that both the state government and SEC believed that additional forces were needed for proper security during the elections.
State Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated that 822 companies of central forces would not suffice for free and fair elections, and requested more forces be deployed. He said, In proportion to the number of booths, I think that this number (822 companies) of central forces is inadequate. I demand more central forces be sent to West Bengal for the panchayat elections.Â
Eight people have already lost their lives in various instances of political violence since the announcement of the poll date on June 8. It is unclear whether further delays by the Central government in the dispatch of paramilitary forces could lead to further violence as well as possible changes to the panchayat election process in West Bengal.
