Conduct municipal polls in Bengal as soon as possible: HC

The Calcutta High Court onFriday directed that all steps should be taken to holdmunicipal elections in West Bengal as early as feasible sincethe terms of the councillors have long expired.

The court said that as far the date or dates forholding the municipal elections are concerned, the decision isto be taken by the State Election Commission and the stategovernment in consultation with each other, fairly andjudiciously, taking all logistic factors into consideration,so that a peaceful and an uninterrupted electoral process forthe municipal bodies is undertaken.

Noting that the terms of the councillors of themunicipal bodies in question has long expired, a divisionbench comprising justices IP Mukerji and Md Nizamuddindirected that ''all steps should be taken to convene and holdthe municipal election as early as it is feasible''.

Passing the order on two PILs praying for a directionto hold elections to 106 municipalities and six municipalcorporations in the state, the court observed that the issuepertaining to Kolkata Municipal Corporation is pendingadjudication before the Supreme Court and hence is not underits consideration.

The division bench accepted the submission of theState Election Commission that the electoral roll for themunicipal elections can only be finalised after the electoralroll for the West Bengal assembly elections in 2021 isfinalised, observing that it has every reason to believe thatit will be completed shortly.

SEC counsel Sonal Sinha submitted that at present theState Election Commission is undertaking the task ofdelineating constituencies and preparation of electoral rollsfor the municipal elections.

She further submitted that the electoral rolls canonly be finalised after the State Election Commissionfinalises the electoral roll for the West Bengal LegislativeAssembly elections to be held in 2021 and when this task isover, the date or dates for holding the civic body electionswould be decided.

Additional Advocate-General Abhratosh Majumdar,representing the state, submitted that the municipal and thestate assembly elections cannot be held at the same time,because the entire administrative machinery of the state wouldbe engaged in tackling the assembly elections, and that therewould be an administrative problem in holding two electionssimultaneously.

Bikash Bhattacharya, senior advocate appearing for thepetitioners in both the cases, submitted that the term of thecouncillors of the municipal bodies has long expired, and thatthere is an urgent need to hold the civic elections.

He submitted that the administrative machineryrequired for conducting the municipal elections is many timessmaller than what is required to conduct the assemblyelections.