EC announces bypoll schedule for 3 Bengal seats
Kolkata: The Election Commission on Saturday announced the date of by-election in Bhowanipore and two other Assembly constituencies — Samsherganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The bypolls in these three constituencies will be held on September 30 and the counting is scheduled for October 3.
The announcement of the bypolls assumes significance with the BJP, particularly the state leadership, pushing hard to delay the event.
By-election in Bhowanipore Assembly seat is scheduled because existing MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has resigned paving way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The latter had lost to the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram in the Assembly polls.
The Commission in its notification quoting Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi said: "Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution of India, a Minister who is not a member of the Legislature of the State for a period of six consecutive months shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister and there will be a constitutional crisis and vacuum in the top executive posts in the Government unless elections are held immediately".
"He has also informed that in view of administrative exigencies and public interest and to avoid vacuum in the state, by-elections for 159- Bhowanipore, Kolkata from where Ms. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister intends to contest elections may be conducted," the notification read. The elections in Samsherganj and Jangipur were withheld because of the death of the candidates before polls in West Bengal.
Congress candidate from Samsherganj Rejaul Haque and RSP candidate from Jangipur Pradip Nandi both had died of Covid before the Assembly polls.
The Commission has allowed a campaign time of seven days from September 20. However, there are four more Assembly constituencies — Khardah in North 24-Parganas, Dinhata in Cooch Behar, Santipur in Nadia and Gosaba in South 24-Parganas where by-election is still due.
Trinamool Congress has been pressing for the by-elections for quite some time and had urged the poll panel on more than one occasion to conduct the same with the pandemic situation improving in the state.
Recently, a five-member delegation of TMC MPs, including Saugata Roy, Jawhar Sircar, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sajda Ahmed and Mohua Moitra met the Election Commissioner and demanded the polls.
After the dates were announced, Banerjee postponed her tour of North Bengal. The TMC supremo is likely to file her nomination papers on September 10. Banerjee was scheduled to visit North Bengal on September 6. She was slated to attend various programmes and meetings spread over three days before returning to Kolkata. TMC workers in Bhowanipore have already started putting up banners and posters in the name of Mamata Banerjee as soon as the election dates were announced.
Firhad Hakim, who is the state Transport and Housing minister, also did a wall painting in the name of Banerjee at Gobinda Auddy Road in Chetla.
"We are happy that the Election Commission has announced dates for by-elections in three seats. We will campaign strictly adhering to the guidelines of the Commission," Hakim said.
