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Bengal's panchayat poll face-off -Sulagna Sengupta
-The Indian Express


Kolkata: West Bengal's notification for the panchayat elections marks a flash point in an ongoing tussle between the Mamata Banerjee government and the state election commission. The government notification, issued last week independently of the election authorities, has declared polls in two phases, on April 26 and 30. The election commission, headed by Meera Pandey, has been insisting on three phases.

On Monday, the commission wrote to the government urging it to review the decision. That was one of three options legal experts have cited, the other two being seeking the governor's intervention and moving the high court. "There is time and we are waiting for their response," said Pandey.

Initially, the government had wanted one phase, while the election commission had wanted as many as four. This is apart from differences over the kind of forces each wanted deployed.

It began with differences over dates last September. Then chief secretary Samar Ghosh wrote urging the election commission to hold the elections in the end of January. The poll panel wrote to the panchayat department, ruling January out as the commission would need at least six months after the notification. Even if the notification should be issued immediately, it argued, the elections could be held only in February-March, but those months too would have to be ruled out since the assembly would be in session.

Eventually, in January, the election commission conveyed to the government its plan for four phases with central paramilitary forces deployed. The government conveyed its wishes - one phase and state armed police. It took the shape of a bargain, with the commission saying it could settle for three phases but insisting on central forces, and the government agreeing to go up to two phases and suggesting that Bengal's state armed police be joined by such forces from other states.

Pandey, an IAS officer of the 1974 batch, retired in 2009 and became state election commissioner. Throughout her career, she carried a reputation for strict adherence to the rulebook. Starting as food secretary, she went on to serve in various departments - water resources investigation,micro and small industries, animal husbandry. She was joint secretary in the health department for a year.

Her unyielding stance in the current standoff has resulted in allegations from the ruling Trinamool Congress that she is partial to the CPM, while the opposition sees the tussle as an ego clash Mamata has taken up against Pandey.

"Election commissioner mahodaya (madam) is delaying the polls to prevent a CPM defeat," Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy had said in the days leading to the notification. State Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya said, "The chief minister should refrain from going into the unnecessary ego clash and abide by what the law says," and the CPM's Robin Deb echoed, "It's high time the government shed its ego and went by law."

The March 22 government notification, issued under section 42 of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 2003, sets April 26 as the date for 14 districts and April 30 for Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur. The latter three are Congress strongholds and the party has said it takes exception to the decision.

Section 42 allows the government to notify panchayat polls but after consulting the state election commission, which is to issue a matching notification. Section 4 gives the commission the responsibility of conducting the polls.

Panchayat bodies complete their five-year terms on July 8. Unless the deadlock is resolved by then, they would be automatically dissolved and disbursal of funds stopped.

The election commission's ground for wanting central forces is the possibility of political violence. Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee countered, "In 2008, we wanted CRPF because of violence in Nandigram, Junglemahal and Darjeeling, but not one company could be spared. Now there is peace everywhere, why do you want CRPF?" Besides, he said, the debt-ridden state cannot afford the Rs 400 crore that deployment of central forces would cost.

"Since 1988, when the first panchayat election was held, this is the first time government officials are going through such a situation," said M N Roy, former panchayat secretary.