Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court will give its verdict on Friday on the West Bengal panchayat elections row. The state Election Commission had moved court after differences with the Mamata government over when to hold the elections and the deployment of state or paramilitary forces to conduct the polls.
Mamata Banerjee's government had proposed May 5 and May 8 as the new dates for panchayat polls but the EC wants to conduct polls in 3 phases. The state government moved an application before the court of Justice Biswanath Somadder praying for a direction to the SEC that it notifies the dates of May five and May eight announced by the government.
The SEC in a counter application stated that the state government's announcement of dates under section 42 of the West Bengal Panchayat Election Act was unilateral and ultra vires to the Constitution. The Commission also prayed for speedy disposal of its petition for the sake of holding the panchayat poll in time.
The Commission had moved the High Court seeking cancellation of dates - April 26 and April 30 - announced by the government earlier, claiming that it was unconstitutional. Even as the hearing in the SEC's petition was on, the state informed the court that it had decided on new dates for the panchayat elections.
With Additional Inputs From PTI
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