Calcutta, July 17: Calcutta High
Court today directed the state government and state election commission
to sit together by tomorrow and fix within three days the dates of
polling for 13 municipalities whose terms ended on June 29.
A division bench
of Chief Justice A.K. Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the
order in response to a PIL moved by advocate Basabi Roy Chowdhury
alleging that the state government was trying to postpone the elections
to 13 municipal bodies.
“The state
government is directed to sit with the state election commission by
tomorrow and fix the date of 12 municipal bodies’ polls within next
three days,” the division bench said in its order.
Appearing for the
petitioner, advocate Subrata Mukhopadhyay, said: “ The state government
has been taking a dilly-dally process in holding of elections to 13
municipalities, whose terms had expired in the meantime.”
Commission counsel
Behani said: “My client wants to hold the election in 12 municipalities
on September 22. But the state government is saying that election
should he held on September 7.”
The bench then passed the order.
The
municipalities, where elections are due are Burdwan, Guskara, Habra,
Diamond Harbour, Dubrajpur, Alipurduar, Mekhliganj, Haldibari, Dalkhola,
Panihati, Chakdah and Balagarh.
Five-year terms of these municipalities had ended on June 29 this year.
The five-year term of Midnapore municipality had also ended on June 29.
But, advocate L.C.
Behani, the counsel who appeared for state election commission,
informed the court today that since the delimitation process of the
municipality had not been completed yet, election to Midnapore
municipality would not be possible before November.
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