Guv Dhankhar moots for holding all civic polls together, TMC says as per rules 'he cannot interfere in process...'

Kolkata: Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar held an hour long meeting with State Election Commissioner (SEC) Sourav Das on Tuesday and enquired about the Commission's plan regarding the civic polls in the state.

According to sources, the Governor also wants to conduct civic polls in all the municipalities together, as demanded by all parties in the all-party meeting held at the Commission's

office on Tuesday.

The Commission wants to hold the civic polls in Kolkata Municipal Corporation

and Howrah Municipal Corporation in the first phase and then gradually conduct the elections in the other municipalities where elections are pending.

Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy said that both Election Commission of India and the state Election Commission are independent entities.

"The Governor can call the SEC and give his advice. But as per rules, cannot interfere in the election process," Tapas Roy added.

The Govenor soon after the meeting tweeted. – "Cautioned Shri Saurav Das that SEC @MamataOfficial

toeing line of State Government and be merely its executing agency, would be an outrage of the Constitution as also unwholesome for democratic process. It will run down the essence and spirit of constitutional provisions in Part IXA," indicating strongly that the governor will follow the political consensus of

the Opposition to conduct the civic polls of all the municipalities together.