WB civic polls: Dhankhar calls upon election commissioner, BJP calls bandh, demands repolls

A day after municipal polls in West Bengal, the State Election Commissioner has been called upon to to brief Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday.

The briefing that was to be done “anytime before 10 am” will take place at 3.30 pm on Monday. A BJP delegation that met Governor Dhankhar on Sunday, sought his intervention, demanding that the polls be declared null and void.

Amid allegations of violence and rigging during the polls, the Governor on Sunday directed the State Election Commissioner for a brief on Monday morning, before 10 am. A press note by Raj Bhavan mentioned that the commissioner has been called upon for the briefing “in view of alarmingly disturbing inputs, depicting scenario of violence and lawlessness, with administration in partisan mode, and systemic failure of State Election Commission, in the election process to municipalities…”.

Read | West Bengal: BJP calls for 12-hour bandh on Monday to protest against “rigging, violence” during civic polls

A BJP delegation met the governor in Raj Bhavan on Sunday. The party representatives in a letter submitted to Governor Dhankhar said that they had met the State Election Commissioner and "not being satisfied with our meeting we have no other option but to seek your intervention, to take appropriate steps to have entire polls be declared null and void”. The party has asked that polls be redone in presence of central forces.

Following the meeting, the Raj Bhavan tweeted that the BJP delegation has urged the governor for urgent intervention “in view of massive violence, rigging in municipal elections with support of officialdom. Delegation asserted abdication of duty (of) SEC and called for exemplary action”.

In a fresh press release, issued on Monday morning, the Raj Bhavan stated that the meeting has been rescheduled to 3.30 pm on Monday. “The meeting is in the backdrop of alarmingly disturbing inputs, depicting scenario of violence and lawlessness, with administration in partisan mode, and systematic failure of State Election Commission, in the election process to Municipalities - Constitutional Bodies under Part IX A of the Constitution,” the release specified.

On Monday, the BJP also called for a 12-hour bandh in the state to protest against alleged violence and rigging that marred the polls. The Left will also protest in the afternoon outside the State Election Commission’s office. The state government opposed to strikes and bandhs, however, has warned that all public and private establishments will remain open and any attempt towards “forcible closure or disruption” will be dealt with “strictly and firmly”.

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