KOLKATA: Expressing unhappiness over the action taken report submitted by the State Election Commission (SEC) on controlling the violence during the panchayat elections, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday said the rural poll results will be subject to the final orders passed by it following a number of petitions filed by the opposition.
The court’s observation on the fate of a large number of elected candidates of the ruling Trinamool Congress came in response to petitions by the opposition parties alleging large-scale violence and intimidation by TMC activists on the day of the elections on July 8. The petitioners also held the state poll panel to be in contempt of the court’s order to deploy Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) personnel.
“When the court is seized of the matter, it goes without saying that whatever has been done thus far, i.e, the conduct of the elections and the declaration of results, will be subject to the ultimate orders that may be passed,” said the division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Shivagnanam in its observation.
Responding to the report submitted by the Inspector General of the BSF, the nodal officer of the CAPF, over the issue of deployment of the central force personnel on the day of the elections, the division bench asked the state government and the SEC to submit affidavits.
Alleging large-scale violence and electoral malpractice on July 8, the petitioners sought re-polling in around 50,000 booths out of 61,636. A representative of one of the petitioners displayed videos showing alleged malpractices on the day of the election and the court directed to furnish a copy of the videos to the lawyers of the state poll panel, the state government and the central government. The court said the case would be heard on July 20.
Re-polling was conducted in 696 booths on July 9.
With the deaths of four more persons in the past 24 hours, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appealed for peace and expressed her condolences. Announcing Rs 2 lakh compensation for the victims and job of a homeguard for each of the deceased irrespective of their political allegiance, she said, “Those who died are victims of circumstances. We received reports of the deaths of 19 persons. It is unfortunate that so many died. I have told the police to take action. Of the 19, ten were from our party. We will not differentiate on the basis of political allegiance of the deceased.”
The Bengal chief minister said violence was reported only from 60 booths.
The deaths of 17 persons were reported on the day of the elections and with the deaths of four more persons, the total death toll has gone up to 45 in the past 35 days, since the date for the rural polls was announced.
BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused Mamata of downsizing the death toll during the election process.
On Tuesday, a four-member fact-finding team, led by Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, arrived in Kolkata from Delhi and visited a few strife-hit areas in Kolkata’s adjoining districts. The team is scheduled to visit north Bengal as well.
“What kind of election is held by your administration and police, Mamata Banerjee? Her government has crossed even the records of the Left regarding misrule. Such incidents took place 15-20 years ago in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Violence even stopped there,” said Prasad.
Mamata slammed the BJP for sending the fact-finding team, labelling Prasad and his men as a “provocation committee”.
“Within the past two years, close to 154 teams have visited Bengal. These are BJP’s provocation committees, not fact-finding committees,” she alleged.