WB Panchayat face-off: Poll panel refuses to notify poll dates as yet

Wants central forces to supervise election

Even though West Bengal government softened its stand on Panchayat poll schedule proposing more equitable division of districts for the polls to be held in two phases, the State Election Commission (SEC) doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to bury the hatchet.

Sticking to its demand for central forces to supervise the rural elections, the poll panel refused to notify the poll dates earlier announced and notified by the state government.

Meanwhile, State Election Commissioner Mira Pande on Thursday for the second time met Governor M K Narayanan to discuss the issues. Although Pande refused to comment on the meeting, she made it clear that the SEC was not notifying the poll dates as yet.

In fact, the SEC may write yet another letter to the state panchayat secretary, raising questions over security issues.

Last week, defying the election commission's suggestion for a three-stage polls in the presence of central security forces, the West Bengal government had announced that a two-phase election would be held April on 26 and 30 under the supervision of the state police. However, there needs to be a matching notification from the SEC as well, which would mark the official beginning of poll process.

After  SEC’s objection, government altered the distribution of districts to cover six districts in the second phase. According to the initial plan, the second phase would have included just the Congress-dominated Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur districts

But the poll panel is not yet ready to conduct the elections with only the state police. It has pointed out that the strength of state police would not allow even two armed policemen in each of 58,764 poll booths. The state government, however, said it would meet the shortfall with police from neighbouring states, but not CRPF.

Bureaucrats, however, pointed out within such a short span of time it would be difficult to get police from other states. The poll panel, too understood to have raised the question at the Governor's meeting. “If Bengal wanted to get police from other states, it would have had to set the ball rolling at least three months in advance. On such a short notice it is not possible to get police from neighbouring states,” a senior bureaucrat said.

The SEC has said that 800 companies of central forces should be made available for the elections. “It always easier to get central forces than from other states since they have their own law and order requirements,” he added.

The Governor is understood to have called West Bengal Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee to discuss the matter. The meeting is likely to take place tomorrow. Mukherjee, meanwhile, defended the state government’s stand, saying, “Central force deployment for panchayat polls will cost the state Rs 350 crore. We think there is no requirement of central forces.” As the buzz about possibility of a legal battle between the state government and poll panel is getting stronger, all eyes are now on whether Governor would be able to break the ice to ensure that rural polls take place within the scheduled time.