Big win for Mamata government.
The Supreme Court on Friday gave its verdict on the case regarding uncontested won seats during the last Panchayat poll in West Bengal. In a massive boost to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, the apex court ruled out pleas of BJP, CPI(M) seeking cancellation of panchayat polls over 20,000 uncontested seats. It also overturned Calcutta HC order allowing filing of nomination papers through e-mail, WhatsApp in West Bengal panchayat polls
20,178 seats were won uncontested by the ruling TMC and Friday's verdict will come as a big shot in the arm for the ruling regime in the state. SC in its verdict has said whoever is aggrieved with the election results can file their petitions before the concerned court within 30 days. It expressed concern with the number of uncontested seats in the Panchayat level.
Opposition parties had alleged that they could not field candidates at thousands of seats as workers of the ruling regime had surrounded the BDO and SDO office where nomination papers had to be submitted. On August 20, after hearing both parties, a division bench of Calcutta High Court chief justice Dipak Mishra said that the verdict will be given within a week.
During the hearing, BJP lawyers had said that their candidates were ready but they could not submit their nomination forms and that is why there should be repolls at those seats. CPI(M) lawyer said that the entire poll process had been turned into a farce. He had also prayed for submission of nomination through email and Whatsapp.
The Supreme Court had also expressed its concern over the uncontested win of the ruling TMC in 34 per cent seats in the three-tier Panchayat election. Both the SEC and the state administration agree that if a repoll is ordered, it would further complicate matters. Finally, the Supreme Court seems to have gone with the argument put forward by the Bengal govt.
With Inputs from Arshad Ali
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