Panchayat polls: HC junks ISF’s Naushad Siddiqui’s plea to increase phase

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui on increasing the phase for the Panchayat polls in Bengal.

The state Election Commission (SEC) has announced holding the Panchayat polls in the state on July 8 in a single phase.

The Calcutta High Court rejected the plea by Sidiqqui on the ground that other cases related to the Panchayat polls are pending with the court.

Siddiqui had claimed that the state Election Commission might not get an adequate number of Central forces for holding the elections and so asked for holding the polls in a phased manner.

Interestingly, in a case related to Panchayat polls, the state Election Commission has informed the court that 822 companies of Central forces will be available for conduct of elections with the Home Ministry informing on Monday that it will be sending another 485 companies of forces. The Commission has already received 337 companies of forces.

Meanwhile, 82 candidates from Bhangar who had submitted their nomination on behalf of ISF moved the Calcutta High Court with the plea to allow them to contest in the elections.

Their names had allegedly disappeared from the website of the Commission following which they had earlier moved the high court.

Justice Amrita Sinha had directed the Commission to allow these candidates to contest. But the ISF candidates alleged that the Commission had not done the needful and brought it before the notice of the court. The matter may be heard on Tuesday.

The Calcutta High Court on Monday however turned down the plea of 19 CPM candidates from Bhangar to contest in the panchayat polls. They had alleged that their names had disappeared from the Commission’s website even after their nomination filing.