WB govt announces fresh rural poll dates, SEC unmoved

The West Bengal government today announced fresh panchayat election dates on May five and eight, but the State Election Commission maintained before the Calcutta High Court that it would not conduct the polls without deployment of central paramilitary forces.
Advocate General Bimal Chatterjee told the court of Justice Biswanath Somadder, hearing the case by SEC seeking cancellation of the election, that the state had decided on new dates for the polls.
Chatterjee submitted before the court that a letter was addressed to the state election commissioner stating that May five and May eight were the new election dates.
He sought to assure the court and the SEC that all arrangements would be made for holding free, fair and peaceful elections and said that the commission should accept its assurance to ensure that the elections were held in time.

The term of the present elected panchayats would end in early June.
The Advocate General insisted that the state would make security arrangements from within the state and if necessary, bring forces from neighbouring states and assured all assistance to the SEC.

But SEC's counsel Samaraditya Pal submitted that it was not possible for the commission to hold the elections without deployment of central forces because of apprehension of violence.
Justice Somadder observed that it appeared that both the government and the commission were anxious to hold the elections in time, but a mechanism should be made to ensure free and fair polls.

The judge requested SEC's counsel and the Advocate General to sit together over the weekend so that something could be worked out.
The matter would be taken up for hearing again next Tuesday.
The state government had earlier announced April 26 and April 30 as the dates for panchayat elections, but the SEC challenged it before the high court as unilateral and arbitrary.
In its petition, the commission claimed that Section 42 of the West Bengal Panchayat Election Act, which held that the state government was empowered to notify the election in consultation with it, was unconstitutional.