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.
The state government employees deployed on election duty also demanded that Central forces be deployed in every polling booth in West Bengal in the panchayat polls slated to be held on July 8.
The Congress leader 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 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.
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-Bharatiya Janata Party 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.
Meanwhile, the forum of joint action committee of state government employees also demanded that Central forces be deployed in every polling booth in West Bengal in the panchayat polls.
The forum is a platform of 20 state government employees organisations.
The state government employees are put on election duty in different polls -- assembly, Lok Sabha or local bodies -- conducted by the Election Commission of India or the State Election Commission respectively.
A spokesperson of the forum told reporters a five-member delegation met State Election Commission officials during the day after over 100 state government employees marched to the SEC office threatening they won't participate in the panchayat voting process if central forces are not posted in every booth.
Five-six representatives from the forum, consisting of around 20 state employees organisations belonging to the Left, Congress and BJP, went to meet a senior SEC official but the SEC did not give any concrete assurance.
"The state election commission said we will ensure your safety during polling but that is not enough. We want assurance that central forces will be deployed in every single booth. The safety of every polling official is of paramount importance. The SEC asked for some more time and we have agreed. Let's see," the representative said after meeting the SEC official.
The joint action committee had been on a sit-in near Sahid Minar for over 130 days to press for their demand for a hike in Dearness Allowance of state government employees in commensurate with the DA of their counterparts at the Centre.
Reacting to the demand of the forum for the deployment of central forces, Trinamool Congress state spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar said the employees should not speak in the language of political party activists while performing the duties of state government.
"These agitating employees should decide whether they should introduce themselves as political party activists first if they end up echoing political demands of CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and BJP or act as state government employees," Majumdar told reporters.
He said the authorities will certainly look into the safety issue of the polling personnel as voting will be underway.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said the demand of the state employees was "justified as the state police has failed" to contain violence by ruling TMC activists ahead of the panchayat polls.
