Panchayat poll: Bengal EC moves SC seeking stay on poll schedule

Says state govt has failed to provide requisite security arrangements

With the scheduled date of Panchayat election fast approaching, the State Election Commission (SEC) of West Bengal today moved Supreme Court seeking stay on the Calcutta High Court on completing a three-phase Panchayat election in the state before July 15.

In its appeal, the SEC has said that it was not in a position to conduct the rural poll in the state as the state government failed to provide required security arrangement ordered by Calcutta High Court. The matter is likely to come up for hearing in SC at 2 PM today. So far, a Division Bench of Calcutta High court, comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi, was hearing the matter.

"We have moved Supreme Court as in the current scenario it is difficult to conduct the poll on July 2," one of SEC's counsel said.

Earlier on May 14, the same Division Bench of Calcutta High court had ordered a three-phase Panchayat election in Bengal. Accordingly, the elections were scheduled to be held on July 2, 6 and 9.

In the same order, court had also provided detailed guidelines for security arrangement, according to which, state needed about 1,40,000 personnel for the poll. However, state government could provide only 60,000 security personnel and sought the rest from Centre.

Centre's counsel later informed the court it could not provide security forces within such a short span of time especially given the huge deployment in Uttarakhand rescue work, adding that, in  normal circumstances Centre does provide security personnel in local elections.