West Bengal rural polls: Cong says 822 companies of central forces not enough, demands more

Stating that 822 companies of central forces would not be adequate for free and fair panchayat elections in West Bengal, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday demanded deployment of more central forces.

He also sought an increase in the number of phases, over which the polls will be held, from one to at least six.

"In proportion to the number of booths, I think that this number (822 companies) of central forces is inadequate. I demand more central forces be sent to West Bengal for the panchayat elections," Chowdhury said.

The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday informed the Calcutta High Court that it has requisitioned 822 companies of central forces for the July 8 panchayat polls in West Bengal.

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Widespread violence over the filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls has left at least eight people dead and several injured in various parts of the state in the past two weeks.

Speaking to journalists at a meet the press programme organised by the Press Club Kolkata, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha said SEC Rajiva Sinha should use the central forces "strategically" for free and fair polling.

"The central forces should be deployed in the same manner as in assembly or Lok Sabha elections. Then only, the panchayat elections will be free and fair... I believe the polling should be conducted in six or more phases," he said.

If the people are allowed to cast their votes freely in the panchayat polls, the ruling Trinamool Congress will be found nowhere and that was why the government had moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order for the deployment of central forces, Chowdhury claimed.

“A government which is claiming to be bankrupt is paying through its nose to move the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court orders. It is ready to spend money to bring in forces from other states, but is reluctant to get central forces free of cost," he said.

The SEC recently informed the high court that it has arranged to bring police forces from Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha to be deployed during panchayat polls.

In the Sagardighi assembly by-election held in February, central forces had reached the constituency at least 18-19 days before the polls and that helped in instilling confidence in voters, the Congress leader claimed.

The Congress had won the Sagardighi by-poll and got its only MLA in the current assembly. However, the legislator joined the ruling TMC late last month.

"In West Bengal, no election can be organised by the state police,” Chowdhury claimed.

Unwilling to take questions on the June 23 meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared the dais with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, he stressed that the party in West Bengal would continue to be with the Left Front.