Elections to four municipal corporations in Siliguri, Bidhannagar, Asansol, and Chandernagore are scheduled for February 12
KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Thursday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to discuss with the West Bengal government whether central armed paramilitary forces (CAPF) would be required to ensure peaceful civic elections in Bidhannagar.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajrashi Bharadwaj said in case the poll watchdog decides against the deployment, then the commissioner of the SEC will be personally liable to ensure a violence-free election.
“We hereby direct that the SEC commissioner will hold a joint meeting with the state’s chief secretary and home secretary, director-general of police, and inspector general of police within 12 hours and will do reappraisal of the ground situation in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation area. If required, he will send a requisition to the Union home ministry for the deployment of central forces,” the court said.
Elections to four municipal corporations in Siliguri, Bidhannagar, Asansol, and Chandernagore are scheduled for February 12. Elections to 108 other civic bodies will be held on February 27.
A batch of pleas was filed in the court seeking deployment of central forces for the Bidhannagar municipal polls. The court on Wednesday reserved its order.
Earlier in December, the high court declined a plea by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking deployment of central forces for the civic elections in Kolkata, which the ruling Trinamool Congress swept by winning 134 out of 144 wards. The BJP finished second with three seats.
