BJP welcomes SEC's decision to postpone counting of votes

BJP in West Bengal today termed as a "bold step" the State Election Commission's postponement of the counting of votes in last Saturday's violence-marred civic elections.
The counting of votes was postponed in the Bidhannagar and Asansol Municipal Corporations as well as in Bally under the Howrah Municipal Corporation.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha told reporters after a meeting with Governor K N Tripathi at the Raj Bhavan here that "this never happened earlier. The counting of votes has been put on hold by the SEC. This is a bold step taken by the Commissioner and we should support him."

Alleging that the polls were nothing but a farce, the BJP leader questioned the role played by the police during the elections.
He said that the party's central team would meet the Chief Election Commissioner in connection with the civic polls in West Bengal.
"We will also write to the CEC in this connection keeping in mind next year's Assembly elections," Sinha said.

"There was no existence of the police during the polls. Either they were mere spectators or they were neutral at places where they should have acted," he alleged.
"Mamata Banerjee has failed as Home Minister and we have asked the Governor to direct her to resign (as Home Minister)," Sinha said demanding immediate actions against the culprits who had attacked journalists covering the polls.

On TMC's charge that the Raj Bhavan has virtually become the state BJP office, Sinha said "their comment has no value".
Sinha also described CPI-M as the "guru" and alleged that it was the Left parties which had "started all these tactics during election" when they were in power.
A delegation of Left parties, led by opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra, also met the Governor and urged him to advise the SEC in connection with the civic polls.
"Because the Governor has appointed the Commissioner, he has the right to advise him," Mishra said demanding total re-polling at Salt Lake and Bally under Howrah municipal corporation besides a few wards at Asansol.