TMC's accusation unfortunate: EC

The State Election Commission in West Bengal today described as "unfortunate" the ruling Trinamool Congress accusation that it was being "partial" to the opposition Left Front over holding panchayat elections.
"Our aim is to ensure free and fair elections to the three-tier panchayats in West Bengal and the accusations are unfortunate," a SEC spokesman told PTI a day after TMC general secretary Mukul Roy attacked state election commissioner Mira Pandey, saying she is "trying to help" the Left as she was appointed during the previous regime.
Roy had yesterday questioned the commission's decision to "postpone" the grassroot elections which the state government had wanted to hold in February.

Claiming that the Left Front's rout in the panchayat polls was inevitable, he had alleged that Pandey was trying to help it evade defeat.
"I feel, as the present SEC (Mira Pandey) was appointed in 2010 because of the recommendation of the then Left regime, she is trying to help the Left evade the unavoidable rout in panchayat poll," Roy had said.
The CPI(M) slammed TMC's allegation and said Roy had no authority to engage the SEC in political debate and that he was making such accusations as he was afraid of defeat.
Unlike TMC, the Opposition Left Front and the Congress have favoured a three-phase panchayat election as proposed by the SEC.