West Bengal Panchayat polls: Calcutta HC asks EC to ensure peaceful elections

Hearing a plea filed by Congress' West Bengal unit chief Adhir Chowdhury, Calcutta HC on Friday asked the state Election Commission to ensure peaceful election in the state. It also asked the Election Commission to file an affidavit regarding steps taken by them to ensure peace by April 16. The next hearing in this PIL will be heard on April 20. Panchayat polls are slated to be held next month in West Bengal. Opposition has alleged the ruling Trinamool Congress government of widespread violence and intimidating candidates and stopping them from filing nominations. 

High Court in its order said, if there is a law and order problem while filing nominations, the district Police Super has to set in. On Thursday,  Congress' West Bengal unit chief Adhir Chowdhury moved the Calcutta High Court seeking deployment of central forces for three-tier panchayat polls to be held in the state next month. He also sought the court's direction to the State Election Commission to take steps for free and fair polls and to ensure that opposition candidates can file their nomination papers peacefully.

In his petition, he claimed that the ruling Trinamool Congress workers are perpetrating violence in the state to terrorise terrorise the opposition candidates for the panchayat polls. The former Union minister also prayed for directions for deployment of central forces to ensure security of both the voters and the candidates during the panchayat elections. The sitting Lok Sabha MP claimed that opposition candidates are not being allowed to file nominations, the process of which is on at present, and prayed that the time for filing nominations be extended by a few more days. 

With roughly same demand, BJP has moved Supreme Court. The matter will be heard in the apex court on Monday. 

With PTI inputs