Panchayat Election- Phased rural poll hint... Bengal panel signals many rounds, govt favours one

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, Mar 03, 2018, Calcutta: The Bengal election commission has requested the state government to spell out the number of phases and possible time frame for this year's panchayat polls, signalling multiple-phase elections that sources say the administration is averse to.

The government would like a single-phase election that used to be the norm till 2008, said the sources. "The letter (from the commission seeking the details) reached Nabanna a few days ago. Although no reply has been sent so far, the government feels that multi-phase elections keep development work on hold," said a Nabanna official.

Sources said the intention of the commission to hold elections in multiple phases is clear as this is the first instance of the panel asking about the number of phases even before poll-related discussions with the government begin.

"In 2013, the rural polls were held in five phases following a Supreme Court order. But then too, the discussions had started over arrangement of forces. This is the first time the commission has begun with wanting to know the number of phases," said a source.

According to the West Bengal Panchayat Elections Act, 2003, the commission and the state government hold discussions and fix the time and phases of the rural polls.

The state government first issues a notification mentioning the date or dates of the elections and the next day, the poll body issues a matching order to begin the poll process. But in 2013, the commission had refused to issue a matching notification as the government's order did not ensure proper security arrangements, and had moved court.

Sources said a similar situation could arise this year if the state government does not issue a notification for at least a three-phase election.

"The commission has hinted to several officials, including the district magistrates, that a three-phase election could be held this year where the first would be in north Bengal, the second in Jungle Mahal and the last in the rest of south Bengal. If the state remains firm on a single-phase election, a deadlock might arise," said a source.

Commission sources said the poll body was keen on arranging proper security for each booth. It is not possible to deploy the required number of personnel in the state's 77,000-odd booths if the elections are held in one phase, the sources said.

However, sources in Nabanna said the government does not see any reason to hold the polls in more than one phase. "The polls of 2013 were an exception... From 1978 to 2008, panchayat polls were held in one phase and there is no reason to do away with the tradition," said an official.

Sources in chief minister Mamata Banerjee's office said that if the polls were held in single phase, there would be minimum disruption in development projects.

"In multiple phases, an additional 10 to 12 days will be lost as no new projects can be taken up during the election process. The government believes each day before the monsoon is important to take projects forward," said an official.

Commission sources said that the body has done its duty by seeking information about the number of election phases.

"If anybody now moves court seeking multiple phases, the commission would be able to explain its stand and say it has already asked the government about the possible number of phases. If we were in favour of single-phase polls, we would have never asked about that," said a commission source.

Last month, the commission had sought 425 senior IAS and WBCS officers to be deployed as observers for "free and fair" panchayat polls, a demand that had led to face-off with the government in 2013.

In 2013, the demand for 400-odd senior officers by the poll body was one of the reasons behind the conflict. The government felt so many senior officers cannot be spared for over a month as it hits development projects.