NEW DELHI, Apr 27: The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the central forces would remain deployed in West Bengal for at least seen more days after the end of the State Assembly elections.
Mr Shah made the statement while addressing a rally at Behala in Kolkata and urged the voters to come out to cast their votes on the second phase polling day on Wednesday assuring people that the central forces would remain in place for at least seven more days after the elections even if the BJP come to power in the state.
A very large number of central forces have been deployed in the state in view of its recent past history of bloodshed during the campaigning, polling and even counting of votes. The two phase polling is scheduled to end on Wednesday and wait for four more days for counting of votes on May 4 along with that of the elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry.
A total of 3,21,73,837 electors — 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 third-gender voters — are eligible to vote in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for April 29. Polling will be held at 41,001 stations, with webcasting covering all polling stations. Bengal recorded 93.19% polling in the first phase on April 23.
A senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim, who is also the mayor of Kolkata, felt that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls could boomerang for the BJP in West Bengal asserting that people of the state remained firmly behind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Mr Hakim claimed that the BJP’s high-pitched campaign led by central leaders had created more “hype” around this election than in previous years, but insisted that the ground situation remained unchanged.
“To me there is no difference. The BJP’s hype is more this year because their central leaders are coming very frequently. The state BJP does not have its own footing in Bengal, so they need the support of national leaders.
Meanwhile, teachers of West Bengal’s Visva Bharati University have written to Vice-Chancellor Probir Kumar Ghosh over “extremely stressful” poll-related duties, seeking immediate intervention of the Election Commission. In a letter dated April 26, several faculty members of the Central University said they were under “extreme mental and physical stress” due to continuous deployment for poll-related work across districts.
“We are constrained to draw your urgent attention,” the teachers said in the letter, noting that many of them had been assigned duties in different parts of South 24 Parganas district and asked to report by April 28 morning, barely a day after completing assignments in Birbhum.
“Some have to travel as far as Sagar Island. Given the limited transport options and very short notice, it will be extremely difficult to reach on time,” it stated. The faculty members pointed out that even on April 26, they were attending training sessions for counting day observers, leaving them little time to rest before their next deployment.
“At this time of the year, this is extremely stressful on health. This is also severely affecting our primary responsibility – teaching,” they said. The teachers urged the Vice-Chancellor to immediately take up the issue with the poll panel.
The Calcutta High Court requested the Election Commission to address the TMC’s complaint that a police observer in South 24 Parganas district for the Assembly polls met a BJP candidate in violation of norms. The TMC prayed for the removal of the said officer from the role of police observer in four Assembly constituencies – Magrahat Purba, Magrahat Paschim, Diamond Harbour and Falta.
The EC stated before the court that the observer met the candidate in an official capacity at the designated conference room for meetings at a State government-owned tourist lodge in Diamond Harbour, and there was nothing confidential about it as alleged by the petitioner. Justice Krishna Rao, after hearing the parties in the matter last week, “requested” the Election Commission of India to dispose of the complaint filed by the TMC and to communicate the order to the petitioner.
The TMC alleged in the petition that during his stay at the tourist lodge, the officer held a private and unofficial meeting with the candidate fielded by the BJP from the Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency.
Senior advocate D.S. Naidu, representing the Election Commission, stated before the court that sub-clause 3 of Clause 3 of the Observer’s Handbook provides that for all purposes, a police observer would act as the eyes and ears of the ECI during the period of election and provide direct input to the commission. He stated before the court that a police observer has to meet the public as well as the candidates and to submit a report to the Commission.
(Manas Dasgupta)
