Opp meet SEC; express grievances on single-phase Bengal rural poll

Opposition parties in West Bengal today met the State Election Commission to express their grievances over the upcoming single-phase panchayat polls and the security arrangements for the same.

Apart from the opposition Congress, BJP and Left parties, the ruling TMC also met the poll body and discussed the security and election arrangements for the upcoming poll, sources said.

The SEC officials met representatives of ten political parties of the state separately.

"We told the SEC that we are not happy with the security arrangements for the elections. The state does not have adequate forces to hold the elections in one day. The result of today's meeting is zero," senior BJP leader Pratap Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.

"We had demanded that the elections be held in three phases when a meeting was held in this regard on April 21. We told the SEC that one phase election will only lead to violence," CPI(M) senior leader Rabin Deb said.

The Congress delegation blamed the SEC and the state government for its alleged failure to provide adequate security during the filing of nominations.

The TMC delegation, led by party general secretary Subrata Bakshi and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, did not speak to the media after the meeting.

The West Bengal panchayat election is scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 14.