Mamata ‘requests’ Modi to allow EC to hold Assembly bypolls

The decision of the suspension came at the end of an eight-phase election that took over two months, apparently desired by none of the key stakeholders other than BJP

Mamata :Telegraph picture

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   24.06.21 : Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded that pending bypolls in seven Bengal Assembly seats be held by the Election Commission of India at once and said she was aware that the poll panel would conduct the voting only after getting Narendra Modi’s green-light.

“We are watching and waiting to see (what the commission does). They (bypolls) should be held as early as possible… because the Covid-19 situation is totally controlled (in Bengal) now. So, I think they can conduct the byelections within seven days. There is no need to give so much time for candidature and candidates,” said the chief minister.

A day after the Assembly election results had been declared on May 2, the commission suspended all bypolls indefinitely in view of the Covid-19 situation. Dates for Jangipur and Samserganj Assembly bypolls had already been announced following the death of candidates before voting.

The decision of the bypoll suspension came at the end of an eight-phase election for Bengal that took over two months, apparently desired by none of the key stakeholders other than the BJP.

“I came to know that when Prime Minister (Modi) will give the instruction, then only they (the commission) will hold the byelection. If it is so, then I will request the Prime Minister, clear the byelection,” she added. “Because now, the situation is okay. But if the third wave (of the pandemic) comes, then you cannot do anything.”

The Election Commission is an independent constitutional body, but Mamata’s sarcastic appeal to Modi stems from widespread perception that the panel does the bidding of the BJP government at the Centre.

Mamata lost a contentious election — now being challenged in the high court — in the Nandigram seat by a margin of 1,956 votes (0.85 per cent of the vote share) to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari (a Trinamul turncoat who is now the leader of the Opposition). She is now likely to return to her home turf of Bhowanipore, vacated by agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay last month.

Besides Mamata and Chattopadhyay, finance minister Amit Mitra, who did not contest the elections on account of health concerns, has to be elected to the Assembly within six months of being sworn in.

Asked about speculation in Delhi’s corridors of power regarding deliberate attempts to delay the Bengal bypolls, Mamata said: “Why? Within six months, it is the system.”

Besides Samserganj, Jangipur and Bhowanipore, bypolls would also have to be held in Dinhata and Santipur vacated by BJP MPs Nisith Pramanik and Jagannath Sarkar, respectively. They resigned from the Assembly in order to continue as members of the Lok Sabha.

Khardah and Gosaba are the other two seats where bypolls need to be held.

The chief minister urged the commission not to take more than a week or so to complete the by-poll process this time. “Let them give just seven days, 10am to 7pm (for campaign), no more. That will do, and the by-elections can be completed,” said Mamata.