On the first day of the Election Commission’s (EC) three-day tour of West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections, the poll body held talks with political parties on the conduct of elections, including on the number of voting phases. While the state’s Opposition parties have demanded fewer than three phases, the TMC raised concerns over the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded “full proof” of the process and “full compliance with the Supreme Court order”.
On Monday, party delegations met a panel of EC officials led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and Deputy Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in Kolkata.
The BJP delegation demanded that the Assembly election be held in a single phase or a maximum in two phases, instead of the long-drawn seven to eight phases spanning over six weeks, and also called on the EC to ensure “violence-free” polls in the state. The party also submitted a 16-point charter highlighting security concerns, among others, to the EC.
BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay, who was part of the party’s three-member delegation that met EC officials, said, “We demanded a one-, two- or three-phase election, but not more.”
Chattopadhyay, however, raised concerns over the deployment of as many as 400 companies of Central forces and criticised the role of the state police in directing these forces.
“We are dissatisfied with the way the state police is utilising the Central forces. If a violence-free and fearless environment is to be created, the EC must take action against the state police and government officials who prevent voters from casting their own ballots,” he said.
“The nodal officer of the CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) should be given strict instructions to ensure movement of the force and not accept any hospitality from locals as seen in the previous elections,” the letter submitted by the BJP delegation read, adding that the General and Police Observers should be deployed well in advance to get to know their area, and enable an independent assessment of the area.
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For polling day, the BJP has demanded the introduction of two-stage identification of voters – one before entering the polling station by the CAPF personnel, and the other inside by the Presiding/Polling Officer.
The CPI(M), meanwhile, demanded a single-phase election, arguing that holding elections in multiple phases allows for the “movement of anti-social elements” across constituencies, potentially affecting the fairness of the electoral process. The state CPI(M) secretary, Mohammed Salim, said if a single-phase election is unfeasible, the process should not extend beyond two phases.
The ruling TMC, however, refused to comment on how many election phases it wanted. “This is not a platform to discuss this,” TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, when asked about it, after the TMC delegation met the EC officials.
Since 2011, Assembly elections in West Bengal have been held over at least five phases. In 2021, the EC scheduled voting over an unprecedented eight phases, while in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the state voted across seven phases.
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In an official statement, the EC said parties asked it to conduct shorter elections and ensure they are conducted in a free and fair manner. “Political parties urged the Commission to take stringent measures to curb the aggression of anti-social elements and ensure there is no intimidation of voters during the forthcoming elections…
The parties raised their concerns about the possibility of the use of crude bombs, illegal firearms, money, and muscle power by certain parties.”
After the TMC and CPI(M) raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision(SIR) of electoral rolls, and the alleged deletion of genuine voters, the EC, in its statement, said, “The CEC reiterated that the SIR has been conducted in the most transparent manner without any bias. He added that Forms 6/7/8 can still be filed for any inclusions/deletions/changes.”
On poll-related violence in Bengal, the EC said, “CEC Gyanesh Kumar assured the political parties that elections in India are held as per the law and the EC will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring an impartial, transparent, and free and fair polls in West Bengal. The EC is committed to zero tolerance towards violence, he asserted. The political parties assured the Commission that they will fully cooperate in ensuring that the polls in West Bengal are free of violence.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, while visiting Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, CEC Kumar faced demonstrations as a group of protesters surrounded him, waved black flags, and shouted “go back”, marking the second such incident after he landed in Kolkata on Sunday night. The protesters claimed that many names were erroneously removed from the voters’ list during the SIR exercise. Supporters of the TMC and Left parties also staged separate demonstrations, with Left activists chanting “No voters, no vote”.
With Inputs from Tanusree Bose
