Poll panel extends deadline for filing nominations

Kolkata: The West Bengal state election commission (WBSEC) has extended the deadline for filing the nominations by the candidates for the panchayat elections following the Calcutta high court’s order on Friday. It has included another day — April 23 when the candidates will be able to file their nominations from 11 am to 3 pm. In its notification on Saturday evening the state poll panel scheduled April 25 for the scrutiny of the nominations.

It has marked three days — April 26, 27 and 28 for the withdrawal of the nominations. However, uncertainty continues on the fresh dates of the rural polls which the single bench of the high court had also ordered the WBSEC to announce. Speculation is rife that the fresh poll schedule is likely to be announced on Monday when another round of meeting between the state poll panel and the state government may take place.

On the extension of the deadline for nominations state Congress president Adhir Choudhury said, “If the state government wants to turn the elections into a mockery then nothing can be done. Earlier all of us have seen violent attacks on the opposition parties’ candidates for filing their nominations. It will repeat this time also. The main issue of elections is the participation of the common people who will cast their ballots. That has to be ensured first.”

The WBSEC’s extension of the deadline for filing nominations came hours after its chief Amarendra Kumar Singh held an all-party meeting in the afternoon. Sources revealed no party objected to his plan to extend the deadline by another day. Some Opposition parties demanded that the central para-military forces may be deployed during the filing of nominations in view of the attacks on their candidates recently.

State panchayat secretary Sourav Das who attended the meeting on behalf of the government said that the deadline for nominations has been extended till April 23. Later Trinamul Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee said, “We told the WBSEC we are prepared for the elections anytime. We informed them we do not want elections during the summer, rains and Ramzan. We want the elections be over before Ramzan. We have no objection to one round of polls even.”

Lambasting the BJP for skipping the meeting, he alleged, “It their trick. They do not want elections because they are neither pro-people nor pro-development. They can not traced anywhere. They never come forward to help the people. They only think about how to stall the development in the state. They fear of Mamata Banerjee and development.” CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb threatened to move the high court if the state poll panel would not take action into violence.

He said, “We told Mr Singh that if he would guarantee a violence-free environment, by making BDO and SDO offices safe and secured, to help the candidates to file their nominations we will again move the court.” PDS leader Samir Putatundu said, “We demanded the polls be over before Ramzan.”