The ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday expressed confidence that it will win the panchayat polls even after the Supreme Court rejected the West Bengal government’s plea against the deployment of central forces as, the party asserted, the verdict will have no bearing on its electoral prospects.
The Opposition parties, however, hoped that the order will be followed in letter and spirit by the State Election Commission (SEC) without any bias towards the TMC which was accused of not allowing Opposition candidates to file nominations.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed pleas challenging a Calcutta High Court order directing the SEC to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for the upcoming panchayat elections.Widespread violence over the filing of nominations for July 8 polls has left at least five people dead and several injured in various parts of the state.
“We fully respect the judiciary and will abide by the court order. But we did not want the deployment of central forces for rural polls. Deployment of central forces will only lead to confusion,” TMC MP Sougata Roy told PTI.He cited previous instances, such as the 2013 rural polls and various subsequent elections where the TMC emerged victorious despite the deployment of central forces.
“We are confident about the victory of the TMC in the panchayat polls, based on the development work we have done in the last 12 years,” Roy said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, “We would not comment on an SC order. The deployment of central forces will not change the results.We will win the panchayat elections. Our question is when violence happens in any other state, why doesn’t the SC deploy central forces there?”
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the apex court’s ruling and wondered why the TMC opposed the deployment of central forces if it is so confident about victory.
“We hope that the court’s order will be followed in letter and spirit. The TMC’s vote loot machinery has to be stopped at any cost,” the BJP leader said.
In Delhi, the BJP hailed the Supreme Court’s decision, terming it a “lesson” for the Mamata Banerjee government and a “moral defeat” for TMC.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “After the Supreme Court’s order, the Mamata Banerjee government stands exposed that it was not only giving protection to violent activities but it approached the apex court using constitutional tools to stop efforts being taken to stop violence in the state.” The SC’s decision can be seen as an “advice to the State Election Commission” that it should ensure free and fair panchayat polls instead of “acting as a tool of the state government”, Trivedi said.
“They (Trinamool Congress) have already faced moral defeat in the court while the political outcome of the elections is awaited,” the BJP spokesperson said, hitting out at the West Bengal government over a series of violence in the state during the nomination filing process for the panchayat polls.
At least three persons were shot dead and several others injured in violence in the state on the last day of nomination filing on June 15.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Mamata Banerjee had said the state government was against central force deployment because it has no money. When the High Court ordered the deployment of central forces and said the Centre would pay the cost then Mamata Banerjee said the state will bring police from other states. This is not a realistic reason.”
He also said he was apprehensive about the utility of the central forces as their deployment and usage will depend on the SEC. “The deployment of central forces will be done by the SEC and the state administration. So we are apprehensive about properly utilising it,” he said.
Expressing hope for the creation of a peaceful atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections, CPI (M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty urged the SEC to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities.
CPI (M) leader and advocate Bikash Bhattacharya said, “The state government did not move the apex court for any social cause. They went to the Supreme Court to favour the ruling party and fought in the apex court with people’s money.”
On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Supreme Court Justices B V Nagarathna and Manoj Misra said the fact remains that the tenor of the Calcutta High Court order was ultimately to ensure free and fair elections in the state since the polls were being conducted in one day.
