BJP writes to EC over deployment of CAPF in West Bengal during civic body polls

As the civic body polls in West Bengal are inching nearby, the state's Bharatiya Janata Party unit in a letter written to the West Bengal State Election Commission has urged that the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) must be deployed during the elections for avoiding any kind of violent activities throughout the state. Pointing out towards the earlier post-poll violence during the Assembly elections this year, the BJP said that free and fair elections would be impossible without the central forces. 

Attacking the present law and order situation in the state followed by an allegation of creating terror by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), the BJP said, "Looking at the present law and order situation in the state and reign of terror unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress, which is much worse than 2013, free and fair elections will not be possible without deployment of the Central Forces. Accordingly, Bharatiya Janata Party calls upon the Commission to take steps to ensure deployment of adequate CAPF for the forthcoming municipal elections."

The BJP also addressed incidents of post-poll violence during the Vidhan Sabha elections stating that several BJP workers were murdered during the post-poll violence in West Bengal and many more injured. "The severity of these violent incidences were so high that even the Kolkata High Court took cognizance of the same and ordered a CBI enquiry", it added. 

West Bengal Municipal Corporation Elections

Earlier on November 25, the West Bengal State Election Commission in a notification informed that elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation will be held on December 19, 2021. The polls will be held to 144 wards of the city's civil bodies. 

According to the notification, voting will begin from 7 AM till 5 PM, and later the overall election process will be completed by December 22. Meanwhile, the term of the elected members of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has already ended in May 2020 but the elections were withheld due to the COVID-19 situation.

The notification came at a time when a petition concerning elections to all the 112 civic bodies in West Bengal is pending before the Calcutta High Court including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The petition filed by the opposition BJP demands to hold all the civic body polls on a single day. 

Image: PTI