The West Bengal BJP on Thursday demanded immediate intervention of the state Election Commission in conducting polls in more than 107 municipalities and corporations. Elections to more than 107 civic bodies, including Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has been pending for over a year and these bodies are currently run by administrators appointed by the state.
Sensing that the state government is intentionally delaying the poll process, the Bengal BJP has written to the state election commission and demanded immediate intervention in the matter, reminding it about the Supreme Court’s order dated September 22 that sought the state EC’s opinion on how soon the pending election can be conducted.
Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had observed that the pending elections should be held as soon as possible.
State BJP Vice President Jay Prakash Majumdar in his letter to the EC wrote, “There is a travesty in the West Bengal State Election Commission Act about the responsibility of fixing the date of elections. While the state government is empowered by the Act to finalise the dates of local body elections, the SEC is obliged to conduct the election and to carry out the responsibility of fulfilling the democratic process. But unless the state government initiates the process, the SEC remains a lame duck.”
“Therefore you are duty bound towards the people of West Bengal in Superintending direction and conducting elections to all those Municipalities and Corporations where the tenure of the respective Boards has expired. We request you to act strongly to carry out your constitutional obligations of conducting free and fair election without fear or favour, affection or ill-will,” he added.
In February, a BJP delegation led by senior party leader Mukul Roy met SEC Sourav Das and requested that enough time be given to political parties to campaign by deferring the civic polls as board exams would continue till the end of March.
The TMC then had issued a notification, asking the SEC to defer the upcoming municipal/corporation elections.
In 2015, the TMC had won 11 of the 144 wards under the KMC. Left parties won 15 seats, while BJP and Congress won seven and five respectively.
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