Plan To Hold Election To 111 Municipal Bodies In West Bengal By February: Govt To Calcutta HC

West Bengal Government and the State Election Commission (SEC) told Calcutta High Court on Thursday that there are plans to hold elections to 111 Municipal bodies where it is due by February in two phases.

The State and the SEC submitted before the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj a plan to hold elections to five Municipal Corporations on January 22 and to the rest of the municipalities on February 27, 2022.

The Division Bench had directed the state and the SEC to disclose a tentative time schedule for holding the poll to the 111 municipal bodies at the earliest in minimum number of phases.

The Court during the day also took up petitions alleging violation of its directions during the December 19 Kolkata Municipal Corporation poll.

Opposing petitions by a CPI(M) candidate and two others alleging irregularities in the KMC elections and violation of the Court's directions to hold peaceful, free and fair polls, State Advocate General S N Mookherjee submitted that the poll was peaceful barring some stray incidents.

He said that such allegations can only be brought before the court through an election petition and not a writ petition.

FIRs had been registered in case of violence on December 19 and that alleged troublemakers had been arrested, he said.

The State Election Commission counsel submitted that it had complied with the court's directions and steps for building people's confidence, including route march and police patrolling were held. Drones were also used for surveillance.

The Bench fixed the matter for further hearing on January 6.

The HC had turned down a prayer by the state BJP seeking deployment of central forces for the KMC poll after assurances by the SEC, the state police and Kolkata Police of all arrangements for holding a peaceful, free and fair election. The Court had left it to SEC to take a call on the deployment of central armed police force if required.

With PTI Inputs