Bengal yet to receive forces from other states

The West Bengal government is yet to receive a response from Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha for despatch of 130 companies of armed forces for deployment in the three-phase panchayat poll in the state from July 2.
"We wrote to three state governments Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, but have received no response as yet from any of them," Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee said today.
Banerjee said that the state government had requested the Punjab government for 50 companies and 40 companies each from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
The state government in a letter to the MHA yesterday had sought 300 companies of central para-military forces for deployment during panchayat poll for 15 days from June 28 till the counting of votes on July 13.

Stating that BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB and ITBP have been posted in the state, Banerjee said, "We will have to rest content with whatever forces we get from the Centre."
He said for the Howrah Lok Sabha bypoll on June 2 the state had sought 63 companies and received 30 companies, including the BSF and CRPF.
Meanwhile, the state government had written to the SEC yesterday saying that unlike the Election Commission of India, officials deputed for poll related work did not fall under it's purview.
"We have got the letter, we will give a reply," SEC secretary Tapas Roy said.