5 days not enough to file nominations for Bengal panchayat polls: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has raised concerns over the short nomination filing period of just six days, from June 9 to June 15, for the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal, with June 11 being a holiday.

The court observed that this timeframe may not be sufficient for the filing of nominations for the 75,000 seats. However, the court's final decision on this matter is yet to be announced and is expected on Monday after the State Election Commission responds to the court.

In response to a petition filed by the Congress party, a division bench comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hirnamay Bhattacharya expressed the need to review the Commission's decision to allocate only five days for nomination filing. The bench emphasized that the State Election Commission should function as an independent body and utilize the latest technologies to ensure free, fair, and violence-free elections.

The court further directed that the entire election process, including the nomination process, should be video-recorded and stored for transparency. It also noted that the State Election Commission appears to be in a hurry regarding the rural civic body polls.

Regarding the deployment of central armed forces personnel for the polls, the court instructed the state government to clarify whether it has sufficient security forces to ensure fair and peaceful elections. In a previous statement, State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha expressed confidence in the state government's ability to conduct unbiased elections, despite vagueness about the deployment of central armed forces.