KOLKATA: A day after receiving a setback in the Supreme Court, the State Election Commission (SEC) faced another jolt as the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered it to deploy more than the number of security personnel used in the five-phase 2013 panchayat polls, which was 82,000, for the upcoming rural polls in West Bengal. The SEC had earlier sought just 22 companies of central armed paramilitary forces (CAPF) comprising around 2,200 personnel.
The division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam directed the SEC to requisition the central force within 24 hours.
On Tuesday, the apex court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order directing the SEC to deploy CAPF across the state for the rural polls slated to be held on July 8 after the state poll panel submitted a petition challenging the lower court’s verdict.
Back in 2013, the Bengal rural polls were held under the watch of the CAPF following a face-off between the state government and the SEC, headed by Mira Pandey. She was in favour of conducting the panchayat elections involving central forces but the state government moved the court challenging the state poll panel decision which was not entertained.
The court’s order came in response to a petition by the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accusing the SEC of seeking an inadequate number of security personnel for the upcoming rural polls.
Noting that the number of districts in Bengal has increased from 17 in 2013 to 22 at present and also the electorate has increased in these 10 years, the high court asked the poll panel to deploy 82,000 or more CAPF personnel.
Shortly after the apex court’s verdict, the SEC requisitioned 22 companies of the CAPF for 22 districts for the rural polls which will be held for 73,897 seats comprising 63,239-gram panchayats, 9730 panchayat samities and 928 zilla parishad seats. There are 61,636 polling booths where Bengal’s 5.67 crore electorate will exercise their franchise in the rural polls.
Opposition parties raised question on the intent of the poll panel asking how only 22 companies of CAPF comprising 2,200 personnel will conduct the rural polls.
The BJP moved the high court citing the volume of CAPF engaged in the 2013 rural polls.
“We informed the court that 82,000 CAPF personnel were engaged to conduct the rural polls 10 years ago and the division bench noted our submission before passing the order,” said a BJP leader.
While passing the verdict specifying the volume of CAPF to be engaged in the rural polls, the division bench also observed that if the state election commissioner Rajeeva Sinha fails to comply with the court’s order, he should quit.
Reacting to the high court’s order on the volume of central forces to be deployed in the rural polls, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “The volume of central forces to be used in the upcoming elections doesn't matter as the people of Bengal will vote for the TMC.”
While hearing another petition alleging that documents requited for submitting nominations were tampered with in two gram panchayats in Howrah, high court judge Amrita Sinha ordered a CBI probe into the alleged malpractice.