TMC asks EC to restrain Guv from ‘interfering’ with election process

Soumyadip Mullick, MP, 23 Mar 2024, Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) alleging that Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose is “illegally” interfering with the ensuing Lok Sabha elections and attempting to run a parallel office akin to that of the Commission. 

In its letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, the ruling party of Bengal alleged that following the poll declaration by EC, the Governor reportedly launched a portal ‘Log Sabha’ for a so-called “direct connect” with the people during Lok Sabha elections. 

The same was also tweeted from Bose’s X handle, TMC alleged and highlighted the contents of the tweet, adding that the Raj Bhavan announced that any citizen can send communication to the Governor on the dedicated email rajbhavankolkata@gmail.com where grievances and suggestions so received will be acted upon immediately. 

“The addition of an extra mechanism such as ‘Log Sabha’ not only undermines the powers of the ECI and takes away the ECI’s set-up to address grievances but further leads to unnecessary confusion amongst the masses. 

The actions of the Hon’ble Governor are ultra vires the Constitution as they encroach upon the exclusive domain of the ECI, which is solely entrusted with the process of conducting elections,” the party wrote in its complaint letter. Trinamool complained that in the social media handle 

it was allegedly claimed that the Governor is understood to be in touch with the Election Commission in Delhi. Additionally, the Governor has also been making public statements concerning the electioneering process in Bengal which are “supervisory in nature, akin to the powers of the ECI and beyond”, TMC alleged. 

The party requested the EC to restrain the Governor from running a parallel electioneering system which interferes with the electioneering process and powers and functions of the ECI. It demanded that he be restrained from taking any steps as proposed by him through his aforesaid tweets and his press conference. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/tmc-asks-ec-to-restrain-guv-from-interfering-with-election-process-557032?infinitescroll=1